


Hold Me Down

by orphan_account



Series: I'll Make a Mercenary Out of You [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Drinking, Fluff, Historical AU (kind of), Humour, I tried to be funny, M/M, Mercenary!Iwa, Slight swearing, iwaoi - Freeform, mild violence, noble!oikawa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 05:09:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10073459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Oikawa Tooru is 18 years old, the only son of a noble family with no worries in the world. Or so he thought until he overhears his parents discussing a marriage in his future, which he certainly, most definitely, 100% does not want. So he does the only logical thing and runs away, only to end up somewhere he has no familiarity with. A strange encounter with the mercenary, Iwaizumi Hajime leaves Oikawa more enthralled than afraid. Despite his large and scary demeanour, Oikawa can't help but want to do everything to stay in the man's presence and absolutely nothing to make it back to the comforts of his own home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok ok ok, I shouldn't be starting another story BUT HEAR ME OUT. this one is short. only 3-4 chapters. I have it planned at 3 rn, see super short but I might go over to 4 if I can't wrap up the ending quickly. this was just a random idea that I wanted as a one-shot and then realized it was too long for a one-shot so here I am, dragging it out. 
> 
> I JUST REALLY LIKE IWAOI AND REALLY LIKE FLUFF. rip me.

He was cold, he was hungry and he was absolutely  _drenched_  from the sudden downpour of rain that was currently occupying the entirety of the city. 

It was safe to say, Oikawa Tooru was incredibly unimpressed with his current situation in life. He had been minding his own business, contemplating how he was going to get back home, wondering  _where_  in the name of the holy gods he was when the clear sky above him suddenly turned grey and heavy drops of water hit his head all at once. 

It had taken him a few seconds to realize that no, someone had _not_ in fact dropped water over his head (though he wouldn't have put it past someone to pour a bucket on him given the shady area he was walking in) and that _yes_ , he had no shelter and nothing besides his thin yukata to protect him from the rain. 

The unpredictable change in the weather was just what Oikawa needed to ruin his mood further. It wasn't as if he was already stuck in a rut or anything, no, he _definitely_  needed worse luck than he had already been subject to. He blamed this on his parents: they were probably praying that he came back home safe and in the mean time, he faced some hardships so he would never even think of running away again. 

 _Tough love_ , or so they liked to call it. 

To be fair, Oikawa hadn't been thinking about leaving home to begin with. Why would he when he lived so luxuriously? It had just kind of _happened_ and it was a little too late to go back on his decision once he had already made it to the next town.

No one had expected Oikawa to run away, least of all himself. He had everything he could have asked for with a large house, servants to cater to his every need, more clothes than he could have asked for, good food, entertainment, all the instruments and knick knacks and friends he could dream of; he was completely spoiled and he was ok with it because life was great and he had no responsibilities. 

Or so he thought until he had walked past his father's room, eager to show him the new studies he had excelled in when he came across the closed shouji. He was about to retreat, thinking that his father just had another important guest he was busy with when he heard his mother's voice as well, which was strange because they never talked behind closed doors like that in the middle of the day.

Curiosity piqued, Oikawa stepped to the side to hide his presence behind the thinly veiled divider and listened in as best as he could. He knew he should have given them the privacy they deserved but he wasn’t subject to secrets being kept from him and a small part of him was a little hurt.

That small bit of hurt turned into a large spread of anger and distress across his entire being when he heard his name pop up on more than one occasion.

_“Tooru is a little too spoiled don’t you think?” “Tooru doesn’t really pay much attention to anyone outside of himself.” “It’s really our own fault for not taking care of him but I think it’s important that he learn about life on his own; we can’t always baby him.”_

Why were they talking about things like that _now_ of all times? It wasn’t like his parents had ever shown an interest in his personality before. They had rolled they eyes, pretended like he didn’t say something if they didn’t approve but for the most part they left him alone. Sure he had been a little hurt by their lack of interest in his life but he had other things and people to keep him distracted so the thought was only lingering.

But apparently his entire being was a problem, or so Oikawa dramatically came to the conclusion to after only a few seconds of listening in. He knew he should have walked away then, pretended that he didn’t hear what they said and went back to doing whatever it was that he had been doing earlier. Maybe he would go to a friend’s house, drag them into the field to play with him, but instead of doing something that would take his mind off of the conversation he just overheard between his parents, Oikawa stayed still behind the small piece of wood that was blocking his presence.

_“You know, I worry he’s never going to find a wife like this.” “Of course he will, don’t say that! He’s a good looking boy from a wealthy family and smart to boot. Who wouldn’t want to marry him?” “Do you think we should start looking? He is 18 after all and all the good ones will be taken if we don’t start now.” “Oh good idea, let’s have some gatherings in the upcoming weeks, show off our son’s talents.” “Yes and try to hide some of that childish personality in the meantime. I know it’s cute but only for so long and we want to find a permanent match, not some temporary fling.”_

The conversation continued but Oikawa stopped listening at that point, anger bubbling throughout him as he stood there in shock.

 _Childish?_ His own parents thought he was childish? The incredulity of their accusation had him completely taken aback. But besides that, they wanted him to get _married_? They had said the word 18 like it was so terrible. So _what_ if he was 18? He was young, he had so much to offer and he wasn’t going to get stuck with the worst of the batch just because he didn’t want to get married yet.

Oh gods, his parents were trying to set him up, trying to stomp out his personality and get him hitched. Probably to some uppity snob who would want her to cater to his every needs. Well boohoo, because Oikawa wasn’t going to stand for that. He was a grown man, capable of making his own decisions and at the moment, he had decided that he didn’t want to get married to _anyone_ of his parents’ choosing. _Ever_.

The idea of marriage hadn’t even crossed his mind. He knew it was something he would have to do eventually but his parents’ lack of interest in his life had given him the false security that he still had time. He knew his father had gotten married to his mother around this time, but he hadn’t put much thought into it. Until now anyway.

He felt sick, but was still able to think coherently enough to get his butt away from the shouji and back to his own room. He told his tutor he was feeling ill and sent the man away. He refused to let any of the servants into his room, claiming he was so ill that he didn’t dare spread his malaise to anyone else in the household and curled up in his plush covers, hiding his face from anyone who dared come in.

Oikawa wouldn’t be lying if he said he wasn’t a little hurt and a little upset by the conversation he just overheard because he was a _lot_ hurt and a _lot_ upset. His mother came to check on him at some point and left a cup of tea and some milk bread by the door before retreating. He wanted to wallow in self-misery so he tried to ignore the food but eventually his stomach gave in and Oikawa pushed himself away from his nested covers to eat.

It was while he was eating that his depression about the situation gave rise to a new found anger and resolve. Why did he have to just sit here and listen to what his parents wanted him to do?

Well the answer was, _he didn’t_ , and so without so much as a second thought, Oikawa grabbed a cloak, headed to the kitchen to grab a few more rolls of milk bread, snatched his coin purse and headed out into the darkness of the night. He had only been past the estate far enough to reach some of his friends’ houses but besides that, Oikawa was completely oblivious to the geography around him. Not that he was even thinking about that. He had one goal in mind and one goal only: to get himself _out of Seijou_.

His family’s land was huge but the Oikawa household was right in the centre of it. Usually, he didn’t have to go far to get to where he wanted to go and he didn’t often come out at night, unless it was to study astronomy. But even then, he was with his tutor. Something about being alone jumbled up his already wary sense of direction. But sooner or later Oikawa found himself at the gate leading out of the estate.

He managed to sneak into the back of one of the wagons leaving for the market and really, he had only intended to go a few yards from the gate then jump out of the back of the wagon so he could explore the surrounding land to cool his head off. But something about the plush feathers scattered all over the back of the wagon made him feel sleepy and maybe it was because his emotions had run wild that day but he suddenly felt _exhausted._

And that was how Oikawa found himself being thrown out of the back of the wagon by the angry man who presumably owned it at the crack of dawn in an unknown city with no hopes of getting back to his house.

Oikawa only had time to hastily grab at his cloak and make sure the stranger hadn’t swiped his coin purse off of him before the wagon and the man were turning away and Oikawa was left with no one who knew where he came from or how to get back. He wanted to clear his head and get away from his home for a _little bit_. He didn’t want to end up in the middle of nowhere with no friends, barely any money and no change of clothes. He felt gross walking around in the clothes he had slept in and he just _knew_ his hair looked terrible and his breath probably smelled just as bad.

_Great. Life was fantastic._

But Oikawa was never one to back down from a challenge. He figured he could use this opportunity to prove to his parents that he had a perfectly _wonderful_ personality and that he was perfectly _capable_ of dealing with a tough situation on his own. Yes, if he managed to get himself back home (ignoring the fact that it was his fault he made it so far out in the first place) he was sure they would forget about the whole marriage issue and let him live his life the way he wanted to.

With the new goal in mind, Oikawa set forth on his march for only the gods knew where until he found himself trapped in a part of town with too small alleyways, too many half-dressed people running around and a whole lot of cursing and yelling coming from every direction. How he had managed to end up in such a place was beyond him but one thing was for certain: he had no idea how to get out.

Not that he knew where he wanted to get out _of_ and where getting out would even _lead_ him. He hated to admit it, but he was utterly screwed. And he was hungry. The last meal he had was milk bread. But just as Oikawa was contemplating his terrible situation in life and how he could get food into him in the next few minutes, the clear sky gave way to dark clouds and within an instant he was drenched.

If he thought his situation was bad before, that was nothing compared to how he currently felt. He had been exaggerating then, completely unaware of the fate life had in store for him.

His thin clothing wasn’t enough to keep the shivers out, especially considering the yukata he was wearing was so _wet_ and the cloak was too. His hair flopped pathetically into his eyes and really, what was the point in even pushing it back? Maybe if he let it block his vision, Oikawa would be able to forget where he was and how he got there. Maybe he would realize this was just a terrible dream and in a few seconds he would wake up in his room, warm, comfortable, with food at his disposal.

But he knew that was just wishful thinking. A minute passed, then two, then ten and Oikawa still found himself standing in the middle of the dark street, leaning against a crumbling brick building, sighing deeply as he let his head slump down. He felt pathetic. He _was_ pathetic.

_“Oikawa Tooru. 18. Complete failure. Died in the rain.”_

That’s what they were going to write on the card next to his urn. If he was lucky enough to even be brought back to his family and cremated. With his terrible luck, he would end up dying right here and his precious hair would be cut off and sold because it was _flawless_ and gods, what a terrible thing to think but Oikawa was sure he was going to rot in the rain, completely forgotten, completely unmissed by everyone.

He knew he should have been looking for shelter. Sure the streets were all diagonal and confusing and the buildings rose up with not much between them but there had to be a place willing to let him in. But as sad as he was to admit it, he had given up. He pouted to himself when he came to that realization, still unable to physically move, despite knowing that he should have.

He was right in the middle of running the thirteenth scenario of how exactly he was going to die in that very spot when a voice called out. For a quick moment, he thought he was just hearing things until the voice got clearer and presumably the owner of the voice was standing right in front of him.

“Oi, are you deaf?” came the rude reply, but Oikawa was too depressed to even care at being spoken to like that. What was the point in arguing anyway?

He let his muddied brown eyes meet the dark green ones of the man in front of him but made no other movement.

“Shit, are you _actually_ deaf?” asked the man again, a trace of guilt lining his otherwise hardened features when Oikawa didn’t reply.

“No,” Oikawa answered sullenly. He may have been wallowing in self-misery but that didn’t mean he didn’t have the decency to prevent someone else from doing the same. Not that he thought this stranger would be terribly worked up about having accused him of such a physical hindrance.

“Great, so then you’re just stupid,” the man mumbled not quite under his breath. Somehow, this seemed to snap Oikawa out of his own thoughts. His eyes flashed in anger at the way this stranger was speaking to him, no _judging_ him. He pursed his lips, narrowed his eyes and looked the man up and down as if sizing him up.

“Who do you think you are making accusations like that? Didn’t your parents teach you any manners?” Oikawa snapped.

“Can’t learn things from people who don’t exist,” the stranger shrugged. It took Oikawa a few seconds to register what he said and when he did, he felt his stomach plummet and squirm in displeasure.

“Oh,” he managed to say stupidly. It was then that he realized he still had his hair in his face and could only make out about half of the man in front of him. Despite the continuous drops of heavy rain that threatened to make his hair flop back into his face, Oikawa pushed the locks back and looked at the stranger, properly this time. What he saw, he wasn’t expecting.

The man was tall, not quite as tall as him but definitely not short either. He was covering his spiky hair and face with a cloak held above his head (waterproof from the looks of it), and _oh_ , the arms holding that cloak up were bigger and more muscular than Oikawa thought was possible. _How_? He wanted to ask, but figured that was a rude way to continue this conversation, or whatever this was, even though the man had spoken to him quite rudely to begin with.

“Whatever. Why are you standing in the rain if you’re not deaf or stupid?” the stranger asked, moving past his earlier comment like it was nothing.

Oikawa was taken aback by the sudden change but gained his composure, or as much of his composure he thought he could gain in his current situation, just as quickly.

“I don’t know where else I’m supposed to go. Not exactly familiar with this area,” he answered with a shrug. The man raised an eyebrow at him as if trying to decide whether Oikawa was being honest or not but he must have eventually decided that Oikawa was telling the truth because he walked a little closer and spread the cloak above his head to cover Oikawa’s head.

Oikawa was quick to notice that this shift in movement both made him a _lot_ closer to those muscular arms he wasn’t sure whether to admire or fear, as well as the cloak wasn’t quite large enough to keep both of them dry. While Oikawa could no longer feel the heavy drops soak through his clothes and skin, the black clothing this man was adorning seemed to be gaining some uneven darkness where it was subject to the rain.

“There’s a sake shop in the next street. Let’s go,” he ordered and who was Oikawa to say no when the words were said with such resilience and force?

He shifted awkwardly to stand closer to the man until he started moving and Oikawa followed. The walk was short and silent; the only sound coming from their feet hitting the puddles on the ground below them, until they were standing in front of the sign for the sake shop.

“Iwaizumi,” the man grunted suddenly, right as Oikawa was reaching for the door handle. He turned around and cocked his head, as if to ask ‘what?’ “My name,” the stranger, Iwaizumi, corrected, reading into Oikawa’s expression.

“Oh,” Oikawa answered. “Oikawa,” he smiled politely, flashing his teeth, dimples and all, for the first time since meeting the man. He swore he could have seen Iwaizumi flinch. Was his smile that bad? Oh that’s right, he hadn’t been able to freshen up since yesterday, how could he forget?

Oikawa shook his head as if to physically dispel the thought from his mind before pushing open the door of the shop and entering. He felt Iwaizumi’s cloak brush past his head as the man pulled it back towards himself before following Oikawa inside.

“Iwaizumi, took you long enough! Where have you been?” called a voice across the room and despite not having been the one to be addressed, Oikawa couldn’t help but let his eyes find the source of the voice. It was a man with pinkish-brown hair, with an ever-growing smile and raised eyebrows.

The rest of the shop seemed to either not care about the shouting or they were accustomed to it. Either way, they ignored the newcomers and kept to themselves, something Oikawa wasn’t sure whether he was grateful for or creeped out by.

“Ohoho, who’s that with you?” asked the same man pointing a finger straight at Oikawa.

“Oi, don’t steal my line!” another voice shouted, head popping out from behind the first. Oikawa furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, unsure what they were even talking about. He was just wondering _how_ he had even missed the second man, with his wild, dishevelled hair. Well, at least Oikawa wasn’t the only one who was having a bad hair day, which was a lot more comforting than it should have been.

He felt Iwaizumi nudge his back, pushing him forward slightly, before making his way past Oikawa and heading towards the table the two men who had called out were sitting around. Now that Oikawa looked closely, the table was surrounded by more than just two very tall, very intimidating looking men. Iwaizumi wanted him to _follow him there_? Hell no. He would much rather wait back in the cold, wet street than sit at a table full of strangers who looked like they could tear him apart with one flick.

But then Iwaizumi turned around, mid-way to the table and called out to him, “Oikawa, you coming?” And how was Oikawa supposed to say no to that, when he had just been called out so publicly? He swallowed his nerves, wiped his sweaty hands on the inside of his yukata and marched as confidently as possible right behind Iwaizumi.

“Move over,” Iwaizumi instructed and the men scooted closer to one another, enough to create two more spaces. Iwaizumi immediately sat down then looked up at Oikawa expectantly. He jerked his head to the empty spot next to him and Oikawa scrambled to sit down, sort of squished but not really finding himself caring all too much about it.

“Ah, Iwaizumi, sorry but these idiots started off without you. I can’t say no to business after all,” came a booming voice of a man who made his way towards their table.

“That’s fine, not like I could stop them anyway,” Iwaizumi laughed and Oikawa was startled to see the genuine warmth in his voice. “Give me two bottles of sake and two more cups,” he asked and the owner, or so Oikawa assumed, nodded before retreating to the back.

He came back a few seconds later and placed the items Iwaizumi asked for on the table in front of them. “Treating the newcomer?” he grinned and Iwaizumi shrugged, but Oikawa spotted a bit of pink making its way across his tanned cheeks.

“Something like that,” he mumbled and the owner just laughed before heading back to his stool in the front.

“Uhm,” Oikawa mumbled. “I don’t really drink,” he continued sheepishly. The stares he got from the men around the table were frightening. “Sorry, I just never tried it. Didn’t really see the fun in it,” he continued, trying to cover up his lack of exposure.

“How _old_ are you?” asked a man with thick eyebrows and curly black hair.

“Eighteen!” Oikawa huffed indignantly. It wasn’t like he was a baby or anything, who did these people think they were judging him like that?

“And you don’t really drink? Huh, are you one of those sheltered kids?” It was the one with the pinkish-brown hair that spoke this time.

“No, look at him. Do you think if he was one of them he’d be out in this part of town?” asked another, and _whoa_ he had weird hair too, all white and grey and completely streaked. How that was even possible, Oikawa wasn’t sure but what he was certain of was that this group of men were extremely rude to be talking about him as if he wasn’t even there!

“But look at the way he’s dressed. Looks like one of those sheltered, rich-kids to me. And his face is too pretty,” another man added.

“You guys have got it all wrong, I’m telling you, he probably just stole those clothes from somewhere. I’m pretty too, and I’m not one of _those_ people,” the arguing continued.

“Oh shut up Kuroo, you are _not_ pretty. Have you seen that ugly hair sitting atop your head?”

“At least my hair is a normal colour. What’s yours supposed to be? Pink? Brown? How about you just _decide one_ ,” the man, Kuroo, retorted.

“You’re really going to say that when Bokuto is here?” the pinkish-brown haired man jabbed a finger in Bokuto’s direction, who looked completely taken aback at having been addressed that way.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, why are we attacking one another? Let’s go back to the real question at hand,” Bokuto, who happened to be sitting on Oikawa’s left turned his head to look at him.

“So Iwaizumi, who is he?” asked eyebrows, as Oikawa had dubbed him.

“Oikawa,” was Iwaizumi’s only reply. He shrugged before pouring a glass of sake for both himself and Oikawa and sliding Oikawa’s cup towards him. Oikawa glanced around the table at the five men staring at him, grinned at Iwaizumi before taking the glass and hitting it back in one go.

“Ohh, look at that. He managed to down it like a pro even though he’s not much of a drinker. Are you sure about that?” Kuroo questioned Oikawa, even going so far as to lean his face forward and raise his eyebrows in Oikawa’s direction.

Unsure of what to say, Oikawa just turned to Iwaizumi and shoved his cup a little further. “Aye, one more! I like this kid!” pinkish-brown hair reached around Bokuto to thump Oikawa’s back, a little harder than Oikawa might have liked but he laughed and crinkled his eyes in happiness all the same.

Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa, who only nodded to the silent question. That was all Iwaizumi needed to pour Oikawa another glass, which he happily took and threw back again as easily as he had the first one. This wasn’t as bad as he thought it was going to be. In fact, it was kind of _fun_ and _exciting_ and Oikawa’s nervousness was starting to disappear with every new glass Iwaizumi poured for him.

He slowly felt his insides warm up. The stickiness of his clothing went away as they dried and as the night progressed, Oikawa felt increasingly happier. In fact, this was probably the happiest he had been in a long time, and it was all thanks to some group of strangers he would have definitely avoided had he been in a situation other than the one he was currently in.

He learned the names of the other two men around the table, Hanamaki and Matsukawa, which he deemed far too long and after the fourth glass of sake, he had decided to shorten them. By his sixth glass, everyone around the table had a nickname that Oikawa deemed was far better than their original names; that was, everyone except for Iwaizumi.

“What are you thinking about? You look like you’re going to explode. I think that’s enough for you for tonight,” Iwaizumi furrowed his brows, moving the bottle and glass away from Oikawa’s reach.

“No fair, Iwa-chan, don’t be so mean to me,” Oikawa whined, before realizing what he just said. In an instant, the frown was replaced with a smile far too bright and cheery for the dim-lit setting of the shop. Iwaizumi’s eyebrows furrowed further, if that was even possible as Oikawa let out a satisfied laugh.

“No,” Iwaizumi deadpanned.

“ _Yes_ ,” Oikawa breathed, leaning in right next to Iwaizumi’s ear to say it. “Oops,” he giggled, when he realized he was too close and that he might have accidentally licked part of the shell of Iwaizumi’s ear when he tried (and failed) to whisper in it.

Oikawa moved his head back and smiled to the rest of the group, who were watching him with a silent expression, until Matsukawa let out a low whistle and Kuroo and Bokuto high-fived. Oikawa wasn’t sure what was happening, but he honestly didn’t care. He was _happy_ and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

“So, you never told us where you picked him up from,” Hanamaki snickered, breaking the silence of the group.

“I didn’t _pick him up_ ,” Iwaizumi growled, to which the table erupted in laughter.

“Yeah, Iwa-chan didn’t pick me up! He just saved me from the rain,” Oikawa supplied, much to Iwaizumi’s dismay and the rest of the group’s entertainment.

“Saved you from the rain, huh? Tell us more, Oikawa,” Kuroo asked, a gleam in his eyes. If Oikawa had been sober, he would have seen the intent behind the man’s words immediately. As it so happened, he was a little too drunk and a little too happy, so he opened his mouth to oblige Kuroo happily when he felt a warm hand clamp over it.

“Mmmff,” he muffled to no avail.

“All of you, _shut up_ ,” Iwaizumi seethed. “ _Especially_ you, Oikawa,” he added. Oikawa only nodded because seriously, he would have probably done anything Iwaizumi asked him at that point. “Don’t answer anything else these guys ask you,” he warned and once again, Oikawa nodded fervently.

“Will Iwa-chan be mad if I do?” Oikawa asked through innocent eyes.

“Yes,” was Iwaizumi’s only reply and that was enough to convince Oikawa not to say another word.

“Ok, I promise,” he obliged, flashing another blinding smile in Iwaizumi’s direction before leaning his head forward onto the table and promptly falling asleep.

He thought he saw another flush on Iwaizumi’s cheeks or maybe that was another flinch, he really wasn’t sure given his state of inebriety. If he had been awake though, what he would have one hundred percent seen and heard was the laughter of the men around the table, the scowl on Iwaizumi’s face and the flush that crept up his face and neck when he decided to pick Oikawa up and carry him across his back when the group was about to leave.

At some point during the walk to wherever it was that Iwaizumi was taking Oikawa, Oikawa felt his eyes flutter open, only to be met with the warmth of Iwaizumi’s back and the comforting scent of sake and maybe a little bit of sweat, and that was all he needed to fall back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! ♥︎


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soft Iwa taking care of Oikawa is my jam. almost as much as the married couple bickering between them is my jam.

The first thing Oikawa felt when he woke up was a dull, aching pain in his head that only seemed to worsen with every breath he took, every slight movement he made. The second thing he felt was something warm and wet, licking at his calf. 

Wait.  _Licking_? 

He bolted up in his spot too suddenly, which was a mistake because the pain in his head spread through his entire body and for a moment, all Oikawa was able to see was stars and a blinding white light. Gods, where was he? Why did he feel so terrible? Why did he feel so sick? He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to lie back down and try to fall asleep again or whether he wanted to lean over his makeshift bed and throw up all of the contents inside his stomach.

He rubbed at his eyes and clenched his head tightly in his hands, attempting to squeeze the body part in hopes that it would just  _stop pounding_. A few moments later, the pain had subsided enough to allow his vision to come back, and Oikawa was able to locate the source of the wetness on his calf.

It was a large, brown horse that looked completely at ease using Oikawa’s calf to clean its tongue.

“Oh what the hell?” Oikawa groaned, but that was an even bigger mistake than bolting upright because his head started pounding again and before he could take in the rest of his surroundings, the blinding white had clouded his vision.

So _this_ was why people didn’t drink. He should have stuck to his routine of staying away from alcohol. He wasn’t cut out for this. Sure last night had been fun, and he had felt good but if it was a temporary sort of content with this kind of pain as the outcome, he was going to stay _far away_.

“Morning,” sounded a voice and Oikawa blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill over his eyes. The amused face of Iwaizumi came into view and Oikawa felt mortified for reasons he couldn’t explain.

“Ugh,” he groaned, leaning his head back and slowly against whatever it was that was holding his head up.

“I guess you really aren’t much of a drinker after all,” Iwaizumi laughed and Oikawa wished he wouldn’t because it was nice, and he wanted to be able to see it but he was also embarrassed that it was in his expense.

“Please, I don’t think I can handle much talking,” Oikawa complained, letting his eyes adjust to the brown ceiling above him. Was he in some kind of barn? The ceiling wasn’t too high and he could see light streaming in from the side, presumably from some window. There was a faint smell of dung, now that he paid attention and oh, the horse was there too. Maybe he _was_ in a barn, but what he wanted to know was why?

Did Iwaizumi leave him in a barn overnight? There was a blanket draped across his body so Oikawa didn’t think Iwa-chan was _that_ mean but who was he to know the true nature of this stranger he had only met yesterday.

Iwa-chan? Ah right, that was the nickname he had come up with along with the others. _Oh no_ , he remembered the embarrassing things he had said and done. So this was also why he shouldn’t have drank. He couldn’t believe he had let all those embarrassing things come out of his mouth; although, he supposed he didn’t think they were all too bad because Iwaizumi was still standing here, talking to him.

“Here,” he said suddenly, handing a glass to Oikawa.

Oikawa peered up over his neck to see the extended hand holding the glass towards him. “What’s that?” he asked wearily, which made Iwaizumi laugh again. Ugh, his blinding white teeth and the dimples below his eyes were making Oikawa feel annoyed for some reason.

“It’s not alcoholic, don’t worry. I’m not that much of a monster. Trust me, you’ll need this. It’ll make you feel better,” he promised, and for some reason Oikawa believed him. He pushed himself into an upright position gingerly and took the glass from Iwaizumi’s extended hand.

The liquid was warm, a little bitter, but not as unpleasant as he had expected it to be. Oikawa drank slowly, letting the drink settle in his stomach before handing the empty glass back to Iwaizumi. “Thanks,” he mumbled sheepishly, unsure of what else he was supposed to say.

Iwaizumi didn’t seem perturbed by Oikawa’s behaviour at all and he didn’t even seem concerned about the strange situation. And it _was_ a strange situation. For all Oikawa knew, Iwaizumi had let him crash in his barn (his home?), had made sure he was taken after and had even given him something to help with the headache and pain of drinking. _Why_? He wanted to ask, but figured this wasn’t the right time for it.

“No problem. It’ll take a few minutes to kick in but you should be good to go after that,” Iwaizumi shrugged, but made no move to retreat. Instead, he shoved over some of the straw bedding that Oikawa was currently sleeping on and sat himself at the edge of the bed, right near Oikawa’s feet. Suddenly, Oikawa was very conscious of the man’s proximity and his terrible appearance.

He shifted back to make more room and in the process accidentally kicked the horse that was still using Oikawa’s exposed calf as a tongue cleaner. The horse neighed and rutted his head against the bed nearly knocking Oikawa clean off of it. Thankfully, Iwaizumi intervened and held up a hand to the horse’s nose, shushing it in the process.

“Easy Kana,” he muttered, bringing a soothing hand over the horse, which Oikawa somehow wished was soothing _him_ instead. Oh what in the name of the holy gods was _that_ thought all about? He shook his head, blaming it on his current mood and probably the alcohol that was still in his system.

“She seemed to like me just fine when I was letting her use me to clean her tongue. Now she hates me,” Oikawa mumbled a little dejectedly. He wasn’t sure whether he was really upset with the fact that the horse had almost hit him or not. But he _was_ a little upset and he decided to blame it on Kana.

Iwaizumi found Oikawa amusing, or so Oikawa assumed because the man let out another low chuckle and continued to pet the horse. “I think she likes you just fine. You startled her just now, that’s all,” he said soothingly, bringing Kana’s snout closer to Oikawa. “Here, pet her,” he nudged, and when Oikawa hesitated, he had no problem wrapping his hand around Oikawa’s own and guiding it slowly to Kana. Oikawa was startled by the sudden touch and he was sure he looked more than a little embarrassed but Iwaizumi didn’t make mention of it.

“Huh, I guess she’s alright,” Oikawa said nonchalantly, although truth be told, he was highly enjoying the attention that Kana was giving him. She had surprisingly ignored all of Iwaizumi’s further petting and nestled her face right in Oikawa’s shoulder, demanding the attention. Oikawa grinned despite his words.

“Don’t spoil her,” Iwaizumi warned, but his words didn’t hold any real bite and Oikawa hummed happily. “So are you feeling better now?” he continued, and Oikawa nodded.

“Yes, thank you. Uh, sorry for crashing in your barn by the way,” he apologized, not really sure if he should apologize because what kind of a home was this anyway? If Iwaizumi had dumped him in the barn rather than let him sleep _inside_ then Oikawa wasn’t sure he should have been thanking the man. Somehow though, he couldn’t find himself caring either way.

“Whatever, it’s not even mine,” he shrugged, looking away when Oikawa’s jaw dropped in shock.

“What do you mean this isn’t yours? So it’s your family’s? A friend’s? Someone you at least _know_?” Oikawa prompted, hoping that he hadn’t just crashed in a _random barn_ that could be anywhere and belong to anyone. Oh no, was he a criminal now? This was against some kind of laws, wasn’t it? He didn’t think he could handle the shame of being a criminal. It went completely against his nature.

“Nope,” Iwaizumi answered without breaking a sweat.

“Oh gods, Iwa-chan, _why_?” Oikawa wailed, covering his face with his free hand.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Iwaizumi chided. “And don’t call me Iwa-chan. It’s so… childish,” he finished lamely. Oikawa looked up at him, but the man didn’t seem genuinely upset.

“Why not?” Oikawa asked, cocking his head to the side. “Kind of suits you,” he hummed.

“No it doesn’t,” Iwaizumi retorted. He looked down at himself and Oikawa couldn’t help but wonder whether he made Iwaizumi feel self-conscious. He had chosen to call him ‘Iwa-chan’ _because_ Iwaizumi was so obviously not suited for a cute, endearing nickname like that. It was a little childish, sure, but Oikawa hadn’t said it with any malicious intent.

He looked down at the bedding beneath him, suddenly worried that he had unintentionally offended Iwaizumi. “Sorry,” he apologized quietly.

“I was joking,” Iwaizumi responded quickly. “I mean, I wasn’t joking about it sounding childish but it’s whatever. You can call me that. No, call me that. Wait no, do what you want. I mean, it’s… whatever,” he waved his hands about, clearly flustered with the words that had just come out of his mouth. His face was started to show some red splotches of colour and Oikawa just gaped at him, open-mouthed and shocked.

“Really?” he asked, almost disbelievingly. But before Iwaizumi could answer, he quickly added, “Ok, thanks Iwa-chan,” smiling far too widely for someone who had been in quite a bit of pain only a few moments earlier. But wow had that concoction Iwaizumi brought him done some magic.

“So, why are we in a barn and where did your friends go?” Oikawa asked, eager to move the topic away from the awkward pause.

“Because we needed a place to crash and the owners seem to be gone for a while. I mean, we’re not as terrible as to sleep inside their house you know,” he gave Oikawa a look. Well the truth was, Oikawa didn’t know a single thing about Iwaizumi _or_ his friends besides the fact that they seemed close and maybe they really were criminals. Oh, and that they were incredibly muscular the lot of them. Oikawa wasn’t exactly unfit or unhealthy but damn, he didn’t seem to compare at all to that batch of giants.

“And the four idiots are out getting breakfast and some equipment for our next job,” Iwaizumi continued.

“Job?” Oikawa asked curiously. “Wait, don’t tell me, you really _are_ a criminal?” he sounded horrified and he couldn’t bring himself to care. He _was_ horrified. How could a man so kind, so good looking, so damn _adorable_ be a criminal? Wait, did that make Oikawa an accomplice? Not that he even knew what had happened or what he was an accomplice to. He let the scenarios run wild in his head once again before Iwaizumi put a stop to his senseless thinking.

“I’m not a criminal,” he growled, almost offended by Oikawa’s accusation. “I’m a mercenary,” he corrected.

Oikawa gave him a deadpan look. “Same thing!” he accused.

“It is _not_ ,” Iwaizumi retorted. “I’ve never killed anyone before, or even hurt them too much I’ll have you know.”

“Oh like crimes are only defined by murder and physical abuse,” Oikawa cried, throwing his hands up in the air, completely neglecting Kana now. The horse having sensed the irritation between them moved away and started sniffing around the hay near some of the other horses in the barn. Oikawa was too occupied with Iwaizumi’s glaring face to have noticed it though.

“And who are you? The law enforcement? Why do you care anyway?” he narrowed his eyes accusingly at Oikawa who could only sputter in response because well, Iwaizumi was totally right. Why did he care? He shouldn’t have and really, there was no need for him to. His main concern lay with finding his way back home, not with getting caught up in the life of some stranger, no some _mercenary_. It was just Oikawa’s luck that he ran into a dangerous man.

He cocked his head at Iwaizumi at the thought. Sure he was all muscle and hard lines and frowns, but he certainly didn’t _look_ dangerous. Maybe it was because Oikawa was starting to remember how it felt to have Iwaizumi carry him back. Oh, was that what happened? The sudden flow of the memory from last night embarrassed Oikawa even further and he felt the heat rise through his face.

“Ugh, you’re so annoying,” he huffed, pulling his legs up to his face to hide his face in them. Maybe Iwaizumi would leave him alone now and Oikawa wouldn’t be left with all these weird thoughts swarming around his face and making him feel unlike himself.

His words seemed to have broken Iwaizumi out of his own anger because a moment after Oikawa buried his face between his knees he heard Iwaizumi’s comforting laugh. “ _I’m_ annoying? Have you met yourself, Shittykawa?” he continued laughing.

Oikawa’s head shot up, a look of pure shock encasing his features. “ _What_ did you just call me?” he narrowed his eyes.

“Hey, if you’re allowed to give me a stupid nickname, I’m allowed to give you one too,” Iwaizumi shrugged. He got up at that and Oikawa felt some of the warmth that had been leaking out of Iwaizumi and onto his legs disappear. He frowned, a combination of his legs being cold again and the use of such a vulgar nickname directed at him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he scrambled to reach at Iwaizumi’s black shirt, pulling the man back to face him. Iwaizumi seemed to have been taken aback by Oikawa’s sudden grasp, which showed on his face as his eyes went wide and his hands came up to Oikawa’s back to steady himself. “My nickname is endearing, and _cute_. Yours is just… yours is just _mean_ ,” Oikawa complained.

Iwaizumi didn’t have a chance to respond as they were interrupted by the sound of voices coming in, followed by the loud click-clack of the horses that followed behind the new additions to the barn.

“Ohoho, what do we have here? A lover’s spat? A risky morning encounter?” Kuroo smirked, not bothering to hide the way his eyebrows raised higher up his forehead with every step he took towards Iwaizumi and Oikawa.

For a moment, Oikawa was confused, then he realized he was grabbing onto the bottom of Iwaizumi’s shirt, on his knees to have leverage with Iwaizumi who was currently standing, their faces far too close together to be having a normal conversation and frustration and anger written all over them.

 _Oh_. So maybe it did look a little suspicious.

He was suddenly too aware of the warm hands on his back and he scrambled back, trying to regain some of the distance between them. 

"Oh don't stop on our account. Seriously, we'd be happy to leave and let whatever this is play out," Matsukawa popped up from behind Kuroo. Behind him, Oikawa could see Hanamaki and Bokuto come in as well, wearing ever growing matching grins. 

"Where have you been?" Iwaizumi growled, ignoring what his friends had just said. If it wasn't for the fact that the back of his neck was flushed, Oikawa would have believed that the man was oblivious to the comments thrown at them. He pushed himself away from Oikawa and towards the group that had just come in. 

"Doing what you told us to," Hanamaki deadpanned. Then, "You know, we didn't need all four of us to get breakfast and grab a few supplies. Or was it all a ploy to be alone with pretty boy over there," he jerked his head in Oikawa's direction. Oikawa didn't know whether he was supposed to feel offended or not because on one hand, Hanamaki had just complimented him but in the other hand, he was talking about Oikawa like he wasn't there again. 

Huh. Maybe these people just didn't have manners. After all, Iwaizumi has let it slip to him yesterday that he didn't have parents. Maybe the others had similar backstories too. 

"Shut up before I kick you off the team," Iwaizumi warned. Oh, so Iwa-chan was the boss. Not that Oikawa was surprised in the least. He realized when the others started snickering in the back that he was completely out of place. He should go, get out, find somewhere else to be, leave these people's presence, get back to his home... but he didn't want to. 

He shifted awkwardly in the straw bed, which made enough noise to grab the attention of the group who was bickering lightly before him. 

"So Oikawa, you hungry?" asked Bokuto, holding up some bread and oh gods, was that  _milk_  bread? His eyes lit up as he scrambled to get off the bed, head nodding up and down almost childishly. While he was standing, he at least felt that he was on somewhat equal footing with these guys considering their height but most of them were still taller and bigger than him. How unfair. What did they eat and how could Oikawa get some of that? 

At least Iwa-chan was still shorter, not that it made much of a difference considering he could probably knock Oikawa down with one touch. 

" _Yes_ ," he breathed, eyes shining. "Please," he added remembering his manners. He heard a round of laughter around him but he didn't care because this was milk bread on the line here. 

"Then let's eat," Bokuto announced, heading outside. The sun was shining and while Oikawa felt gross, the good weather was enough to make him feel a little better. He smiled when the sun hit his face, revelling in the feeling. 

They set up a blanket, spread the food and started to eat. The awkwardness of joining a group of strangers was gone as soon as the chatting started and Oikawa started eating (inhaling) the milk bread. He almost forgot they were around as he hummed around the piece of bread in his mouth, ignoring everything but the sweet flavour. 

"I see you really like milk bread," Hanamaki commented, smirking. 

"You don't?" Oikawa retorted. 

"Of course I do. Although Iwaizumi isn't exactly a big fan of it," he pointed in the offender's direction. Iwaizumi narrowed his eyes at Hanamaki for outing him. Oikawa let his jaw drop in shock. _Seriously_?

“What?” he demanded, voice sharp and accusatory.

“What do you mean _what_? It’s too sweet and tastes too simple,” he shrugged, picking up a piece of plain bread and stuffing it in his mouth. The action seemed to have been directed at Oikawa, who picked it up and his frown depended.

“So then what do you like?” he asked.

“Agedashi tofu,” Iwaizumi replied simply over the roll stuffed around his mouth. The response upset Oikawa even further, because how dare Iwa-chan call milk bread _simple_ when he liked the blandest food on earth. Instead of gracing him with a reply however, he turned his head away from the man and continued to eat his milk bread in well… not peace but at least in ignorance.

A pout had wound its way onto Oikawa’s face and despite the friendly conversation that Bokuto was trying to hold with him, whom Oikawa was more than happy to oblige the slight frown remained in place. Thankfully, Bokuto was oblivious to Oikawa’s displeasure and continued to tell him about to tell him about the strangest animal he had seen in the woods a few days ago and how he was convinced it was some kind of hybrid.

Oikawa nodded fervently, slightly impressed with Bokuto’s imagination but who was he to judge the other man? In fact, Oikawa found himself strangely interested in the talk, even going so far as to give his own theories about what it was that Bokuto might have seen. He almost forgot Iwaizumi on his right and refused to turn around to face the other man because he could _feel_ his eyes on Oikawa’s back.

Was he being childish? Of course he was. Oh great, his parents were right. He _did_ have a terrible personality. The realization hit him like a tonne of bricks and weighed down on his already sour mood.

“Let’s head out,” Iwaizumi called to the group when they had finished eating and everyone stood up, Oikawa included because he didn’t know what else he was supposed to do. “Well, it was nice meeting you Oikawa,” Iwaizumi continued and it took Oikawa a second to register that the man was speaking to him before he looked at him indignantly. His frown deepened, resembling Iwaizumi’s favourite facial expression.

“Wait a minute, you can’t just _leave_ me here,” Oikawa protested.

“Why not? You’re a grown man, you can figure out where you need to go from here. In fact, I don’t even know _where_ you want to go. What were you really expecting from me anyway?” he asked, slight irritation in his voice.

“Excuse me?” Oikawa screeched. “I wasn’t expecting anything. But then I woke up in your, no wait, _some stranger’s_ barn with you handing me some drink to help me rid my headache and then you even went as far as to feed me breakfast but now you want me to leave so we’ll never see each other again? Nope, no way. I’m coming with you,” he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t know where he had gotten his sudden bout of bravery from but he had.

Oikawa had never been one to start a fight with someone he didn’t know he could win against and really, he had no idea about anything that had to do with Iwaizumi except for his physical attributes and those were enough to scare Oikawa away. Or they _should_ have been at any rate. Yet here he was, standing up for himself for gods knew what reason because shouldn’t he have wanted to get back home? To be able to lie in an actual bed? To have breakfast that consisted of more than just _bread_ even though he was incredibly happy with the selection of bread they had?

Somehow though, Oikawa found himself wanting to stay in Iwaizumi’s company. The man had a sort of comforting presence around him. And his friends were nice too! They didn’t treat Oikawa like he was something different from them. Granted, they didn’t know his title and his position but _still_ , they didn’t judge him based on his appearance. Oikawa didn’t exactly look _tough_ and yet, these men didn’t make him feel inadequate to them and they treated him like an equal.

Despite the differences between their careers and the way they lived life, which was obvious even though Oikawa hadn’t said anything outright, the men in Iwaizumi’s company still treated Oikawa like an equal. It had been a long time since he had ever felt so welcome and a part of something. He didn’t know much about them besides their name and their career, but still, Oikawa felt comfortable with all of them. He knew it wouldn’t last, whatever friendship they had developed in this short time they had spent in each other’s company but he was adamant to make it go on for a little longer.

“No,” Iwaizumi’s voice was stern but something behind his eyes shifted.

“I wasn’t expecting anything from you until _you_ put those expectations there. So now you have to take me where you’re going,” Oikawa huffed.

“Yeah, come on Iwaizumi, that’s really unfair of you,” Kuroo chided, to which Iwaizumi glared at him but the other man only shrugged as he was backed up with the agreements of the other three around him.

“Don’t lead the poor kid on like that, Iwaizumi,” Matsukawa agreed. “Just look at him, he looks so upset. How are you supposed to say no to a face like that?” he continued.

“All of you, _shut up_ ,” Iwaizumi growled, eyes narrowed. “Say one more thing and you’re not getting a single cut from the next job,” he warned, which seemed to do the trick, and also give Oikawa an idea.

“Ok fine, let me come with you until you finish your job! Just one time,” he bargained. “I’ve never seen a mercenary in action and you never know, maybe it’s what I want to do,” he shrugged. It was a lie and they all knew it, especially Iwaizumi. There was no way Oikawa was going to go into this profession. He had been adamantly against borrowing the barn as his sleeping place not too long ago.

Iwaizumi cocked an eyebrow at Oikawa as if to say, ‘really?’ to which Oikawa nodded fervently. “Yes, please, just one job! I won’t get in your way. You might not believe it but I have plenty of assets,” he pleaded.

“Like what?” Iwaizumi asked disbelievingly. “You look like you can’t even lift forty kilos.”

“Ugh, you’re so…”

“Mean?” Iwaizumi supplied, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips.

“ _Yes_ ,” Oikawa huffed, much to Iwaizumi’s amusement. He heard snickers from the group as well but pointedly ignored them. “So what, I don’t have the muscles of a monster but I do have endurance and I’m good at strategy! I’ve never lost a game of shogi, _ever_ ,” he nodded.

“And that’s supposed to help me because?” Iwaizumi asked, unimpressed.

“Just tell me what your new task is and then I’ll tell you if I can help or not,” Oikawa suggested.

“No. You could be a spy for a competitor. There’s no way I’m losing this job,” Iwaizumi was firm in his response, but Oikawa wasn’t swayed. He hung off of Iwaizumi’s arm, continuously pleading until the man gave in half from annoyance and half from a change of heart at the way Oikawa looked so sincere and so cute. “Fine,” he responded. “We’re going to Seijou. There’s some jewel that someone wants,” he said vaguely.

Oikawa’s face plummeted at that. On one hand, Iwaizumi could lead him straight to his home but on the other hand… he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone to know that was his _home_ , least of all Iwa-chan.

“How are you going to help with that?” Iwaizumi was convinced Oikawa had no idea what to do, which is what spurred him on despite his current dilemma.

“I know the entire layout of Seijou,” he bragged. It was a lie considering his terrible sense of geography, even within his own estate but hey, Iwaizumi didn’t need to know that. Before the man could respond however, his companion jumped in.

“Really?” asked Bokuto. “That’s awesome, how’d you figure that out?”

“Uh well, my dad used to do business in there and I got to come along with him when he did,” Oikawa supplied unhelpfully. Iwaizumi didn’t seem to believe him and neither did anyone else it seemed, except for Bokuto who was almost bouncing with joy.

“Iwaizumi, dude, come on. We _have_ to bring him along,” Bokuto pleaded, and Oikawa was grateful that he had at least one ally. Despite the others not seeming to trust Oikawa on actually knowing the layout, they also nodded their head, completely for Oikawa tagging along.

“Yeah, bring him along,” insisted Hanamaki. Oikawa looked smug at that and beamed brightly at Iwaizumi, who only glowered at all of them in return.

“Are you sure you know the layout? You don’t even know what exactly it is we’re looking for, and when’s the last time you even went to Seijou?” he asked skeptically.

“You said something about a jewel right? I know where the treasury is. You’ll probably find it in there. You don’t have to tell me what it looks like, but I also know the houses of all the important people so if it’s not in the treasury, it’ll be there,” he insisted, pointedly ignoring the question about when the last time he had been to Seijou. He didn’t want to lie more than he had to but he also didn’t want Iwaizumi to know that Seijou was his _home_. The man would be pissed, that was for sure and then they’d all treat him differently, like he was someone they couldn’t talk to anymore.

“What do you say, Iwaizumi?” Kuroo asked, voicing what Oikawa had been thinking.

“Fine,” he responded gruffly. “But we don’t have an extra horse, so you’ll have to double up with someone. Make one wrong move, cause even a single hindrance, show me that you’re incapable of holding up your end of the bargain and I _will_ dump you in the river in the middle of an unknown forest that you’ll never be able to come out of alive,” Iwaizumi warned. Oikawa paled, but didn’t lose his nerve.

“Yes, sir!” he agreed, even going so far as to bow his head a little to Iwaizumi. He felt a hand brush his head up, and he wasn’t sure but he thought he may have seen a small smile on Iwaizumi’s otherwise stoic face. This was probably a terrible idea and was going to cause him a lot of trouble but for the moment, Oikawa was happy and undeterred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super short story almost at an end! hope you're enjoying it so far ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok lol I lied, who was I kidding, being able to wrap this up in 3 chapters... I knew I was probably going to go over to 4, so here we are, at the second last chapter _again_ but this time, I promise. I'll just make the next one super long if I have to go over but I will finish this! to make it up to you guys, here's my second update for the day and I'm going to try really really really hard to finish the last chapter tomorrow.
> 
> good news is that I already have it started and I have the ending! so now I just need to write what comes in the middle haha.

When Iwaizumi had told Oikawa that he was going to have to double up with someone, Oikawa was sure he meant with one of the others who were so adamant that Oikawa come along with them. However, Oikawa had only one person he wanted to ride with and that was Iwa-chan. So when Iwaizumi was saddling up the horse, Oikawa stood right next to him, all sunshine and smiles.

He had been given a change of clothes by Bokuto who was similar to him in height, but a lot bigger around the shoulders so the clothes hung loosely around him. They were black, apparently the only colour these men seemed to wear. If they were trying to stand out then they were doing a good job. Not that they had any reason to try to blend in any way. Oikawa had never actually met a mercenary before, let alone a _group_ but he was familiar with the theory behind why they were still in high demand. They were intimidating, they were efficient and they took on jobs most people didn’t want to do.

Iwaizumi had sort of assured him that his group at least held some morals into account, but Oikawa wasn’t sure what the extent of those morals were. They were going to steal a _jewel_ from Seijou after all. To be honest, Oikawa wasn’t familiar with anything of that name. He had lived in Seijou his entire life and hadn’t heard of it. Did such a thing even exist? That wasn’t his problem however. He didn’t put much thought into the idea as he hummed happily behind Iwaizumi.

“What do you want?” Iwaizumi asked, frown still etched into his features. He only gave Oikawa a passing glance before turning around and continuing to fasten the saddle around Kana’s back. Oikawa was starting to wonder whether that was his default expression or if he just saved it specifically for him. Either way, he wasn’t deterred by Iwaizumi’s expression because his mood was just that good.

“Oh nothing, just waiting for you to finish. Are you sure there’s going to be enough room for both of us on here? I don’t want poor Kana to feel overburdened,” he said worriedly. Oikawa cocked his head to peer over Iwaizumi’s shoulder at the horse in front. She looked sturdy and stable, but Oikawa still felt a little bad that the lovely creature was going to have to carry the weight of two grown men on her back.

“Whoa, hold up. Who said you could ride with me?” Iwaizumi questioned, stopping his motion to fully face Oikawa.

“Well, you said there weren’t enough horses and Kana’s the only one that I know so I thought it would make sense that I ride with you,” Oikawa began slowly. Did Iwa-chan really hate the idea of him coming along that much? His face fell slightly, unsure of how to approach the topic further. He supposed he could ask one of the other guys if he could ride with them. No one had made any complaints against Oikawa coming along besides Iwaizumi so he was sure they would let him.

Oh maybe Bokuto would be fun to ride with. Sure he was a little wild and talked about the most random things but at least he was friendly. Oikawa picked up his fallen face and smiled at Iwaizumi although the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Never mind then,” he agreed, although he couldn’t help the sharp pang that shot across his chest at the idea that Iwaizumi disliked him so much. Maybe he would really turn back now and go home… but even then, Iwaizumi and his gang were Oikawa’s best bet of returning to Seijou considering he didn’t know where he was at all.

“Oi, Shittykawa, don’t look so glum,” Iwaizumi’s voice broke Oikawa out of his thoughts. He frowned at the use of that vulgar nickname, however when he felt Iwa-chan’s hand on his shoulder pulling him towards Kana, he was willing to forget the nickname. “If you’re going to look that sad about it then don’t bother trying to make an excuse,” he said gruffly, but there was a slight bit of caring behind those words that made Oikawa’s heart melt and replaced the forced smile on his face with a real one.

“Ooh, I guess you really do like me. Good thing you get to spend more time in my company,” he laughed lightly, ducking his head when Iwa-chan tried to swipe at it. He hit Kana on the back instead, which annoyed the horse and she nestled further into Oikawa’s embrace. “Watch out or I might steal her from you,” Oikawa joked, which seemed to make Iwaizumi forget his slight anger because he smiled at that.

“Don’t even think about it. She’s my most prized possession,” he said honestly. “Besides, I thought you had _morals_. Wouldn’t stealing go against them?” he cocked an eyebrow at Oikawa accusingly.

Oikawa felt colour rush to his cheeks as he sputtered to find the correct response but it didn’t seem like Iwaizumi was looking for one anyway. He only laughed, louder this time, which made Oikawa forget all about his embarrassment because _wow_ those teeth were so nice and the dimples under his eyes were so sincere and unique. He had never seen someone with such a gruff face look so soft before but it suited Iwa-chan. It almost made him wish that the man would bear that smile longer, but it was gone in an instant.

“Are you lot ready?” Iwaizumi called over his shoulder. When he got confirmation from the group he climbed atop Kana and reached a hand down to help Oikawa up.

“I know how to get on a horse,” Oikawa huffed, but he wasn’t quite as annoyed as he may have wanted to sound because he got to feel Iwaizumi’s large, warm, _comforting_ hand around his for another instant, which was worth Iwaizumi thinking he was incompetent. Holy gods, what were these thoughts? Oikawa didn’t know whether to be ashamed of himself or proud that he was growing up and finding his way out of the nest and into the real world. A part of him however was a little afraid of what was going to happen because he was in a right dilemma.

He _wanted_ to spend time with Iwaizumi, but that was the problem. In less than a day, they were going to reach Seijou and Oikawa was going to have to say goodbye because how was he supposed to keep up a friendship with a mercenary of all people?

Not that a friendship was what he was looking for anyway. Wait. Where did _that_ thought come from? Oikawa shook the thoughts away, choosing to deal with them when they got back to Seijou instead. For now, he was content wrapping his arms around Iwaizumi and feeling the warmth emanate off the broad man’s back. It was already warm outside, not overly so but enough that he didn’t need a human heater; all the same, he happily accepted the comfort that Iwa-chan’s body heat brought him.

They moved slowly due to having to use the forest paths instead of the main roads to avoid suspicion. The forest was deserted, but the roads weren’t paved and the horses weren’t made out for that kind of environment. They neighed and huffed and were a right pain to deal with, which Iwaizumi was happy to compare to dealing with Oikawa.

“Hmph, I’m much prettier than those horses. At least you get to see my face so don’t complain, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa chided when Iwaizumi made that remark.

“Right, whatever you say,” the man replied gruffly, but Oikawa _did_ notice a red patch appear on the back of his neck. Oikawa didn’t argue further but he did hum happily, which seemed to only annoy Iwaizumi further. “Can you stop humming?” he asked testily a few minutes later. It seemed like the difficult path was starting to get to him, especially because Hanamaki and Bokuto hadn’t stopped complaining about how hungry they were for the past thirty minutes.

“It’s like I’m dealing with children,” Iwaizumi sighed to himself, but with Oikawa being pressed up so close to him, he could hear every single thing Iwa-chan muttered under his breath. The man’s annoyance made Oikawa laugh.

“You’re such an old man, Iwa-chan. Say, how old are you anyway? You don’t _look_ that old?” Oikawa asked to keep the tension at bay and Iwaizumi’s mind on anything but their current situation.

“Nineteen. But only for a few days now,” he admitted. Oikawa brightened up at that.

“Oh, we’re only born about a month apart then,” he beamed. “Seems like fate that we met then, huh?” he asked happily.

Iwaizumi spared him a skeptical look. “I’m not sure that’s how it works. There are plenty of people born in the span of a month and even on the same days as us,” he argued, but it was no use because Oikawa was far too happy with the realization. It was odd to some people how he picked up on certain things and went with it until the end of the world, but Oikawa Tooru really was easily amused. He didn’t even bother giving Iwaizumi a response to convince the man and instead changed the topic to something else.

They continued like that for another fifteen minutes before Bokuto pulled his horse up right next to Iwaizumi as the clearing widened. “Boss, I’m so hungry,” he whined. “Let’s stop,” he pouted. Oh, that was a really good pout if Oikawa was one to judge. He wasn’t sure how Iwaizumi was going to say no to that because even Oikawa couldn’t bring it in himself to turn down someone who looked like that.

“No,” was Iwaizumi’s stern reply. So _that_ ’s how someone could say no to a man who looked that desperate. Bokuto’s eyes widened and his frown deepened. He looked up at Iwaizumi dejectedly. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, which was a very strange sight in Oikawa’s opinion.

The man was all muscles and broad shoulders and intimidating appearance. How anyone could give off that aura and still look so _sad_ was beyond him. Oikawa really needed to up his game, now that he had seen Bokuto.

“Ok, I guess I’ll just starve. Maybe I’ll fall off my horse and the ditch below us will eat me up. I guess no one would miss me anyway so maybe this is the fate that was meant to be for me,” he sighed, pulling the reins of his horse to slow it down and let Iwaizumi and Oikawa pass ahead of him. Oikawa heard Iwaizumi sigh deeply before pulling the reins on Kana as well to stop the motion.

“Let’s get over this ditch and we’ll stop to eat,” he compromised, which Bokuto was happy to take. He nodded happily, eyes gleaming with a renewed vigour.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” he ushered, kicking his horse to speed up. The ground didn’t look too sturdy but Oikawa noticed that Iwaizumi didn’t bother to stop Bokuto. He only sighed deeply once more before following behind the other man.

“Stupid Bo, he’s so simple minded,” Kuroo chuckled, pulling up next to Iwaizumi and Oikawa in the spot that Bokuto had just vacated.

“Yeah but it’s his nerve and daring that has often helped us through,” Matsukawa reminded, pulling up behind them. Oikawa turned his head and noticed that Hanamaki had pulled up close enough to hear the conversation as well. Oikawa watched the way they smiled fondly while speaking about Bokuto and had no doubt that they held the same expression while speaking of each other as well.

It was nice to see how close they were and Oikawa could admit, he was a little jealous. He had always wanted the _closeness_ and the bonds that friendship brought but was unfortunate enough to not have found that in his years living inside Seijou. His parents had put him up on a pedestal and everyone was either scared of him or jealous of him. It wasn’t what he wanted and it certainly wasn’t what he had asked for but was something he was born into either way.

He smiled sadly at the realization, which Kuroo seemed to have picked up on with his vantage point at Oikawa’s face. “What’s wrong? You’re not going to throw up are you? That’s the look Makki gets when he throws up after riding for too long.”

“Hey, you _asshole_ , that was one time,” Hanamaki protested. “And don’t call me Makki,” he added. His annoyance was complete with a frown and Oikawa couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his face.

“Why not? Oikawa called you that last night and you were ok with it,” Kuroo reminded.

“Yeah well, it sounds cute coming from him. From you however, it’s just, _no_ ,” he shuddered as if to prove his point further. Oikawa’s laughter intensified. He wasn’t sure whether it was his own body moving but he thought he felt Iwaizumi’s stomach tense between his arms.

“I’m fine,” Oikawa insisted. He couldn’t explain it but being with this group made him feel happy even if he was completely aware how much of an outsider he was. He had no idea what they did or even _how_ to do those things. Yet, they treated him no different. They made him feel welcome with the easy banter and teasing; they even showed concern for him. Oikawa couldn’t remember the last time someone he didn’t know had shown such concern for him. Usually, the people he was around knew him and the concern was either forced or familial: both from duty.

It didn’t take them long to reach the end of the path that led away from the ditch. Once they were on even ground again, they sped up their pace and found Bokuto already set up on the ground, relaxing under a tree. His horse was tied up loosely, drinking from the river flowing around them.

“Took you long enough,” he complained, although he didn’t look very upset when Matsukawa brought the basket of food towards him.

It was after they had settled with the food with a stern warning from Iwaizumi that they were only staying for twenty minutes that Oikawa felt the eyes of everyone on him.

“So Oikawa,” Hanamaki began. “What do you do for a living?” he asked curiously.

“Uh, I’m a student,” he supplied unhelpfully. That wasn’t technically incorrect, right? He _was_ studying… and that _was_ his current occupation in life but he wasn’t sure that was what they were looking for.

“Oh, an intellect, impressive,” Bokuto beamed, to which Kuroo only thumped him on the back. Oikawa couldn’t help but feel like this was some sort of interrogation. What for though, he wasn’t entirely sure.

He searched for Iwaizumi’s eyes, but he did everything he could keep them away from Oikawa. However, Oikawa did notice a slight flush on his cheeks and an overall uncomfortable look settled on his face. Oikawa was half-way through his onigiri so he tried to swallow the rest before he could face what was sure to be more questions. His prediction was proven to be correct when Kuroo picked up right where Hanamaki had left off.

Oikawa wouldn’t say that this was unpleasant as much as it was _uncomfortable_.

“So you must have a lot of money then, to be eighteen and still studying. Do your parents support you?” he asked, not in the slightest ashamed by the overly personal question. Iwaizumi hit his side and glared at him, however he didn’t make a verbal protest so Oikawa found himself forced to answer the question.

He laughed nervously. “I wouldn’t say _a lot_ of money. But I guess? My parents don’t really fill me in on the details of our financial status,” he admitted. Now that wasn’t a lie in the slightest. They either thought Oikawa was incapable of handling the responsibility or didn’t need it. Whatever their reasoning, they kept the financials away from Oikawa. Not that he was complaining. It _was_ one less thing to worry about. As long as his father was alive, Seijou was in his hands and the way his father seemed to live life down to the strictest routine, Oikawa was certain the man would be around for a long time.

“What were you doing in Karasuno then?” Matsukawa questioned. Oikawa frowned, unsure what the man was asking him for a split second before registering that Karasuno was probably the name of the town he had met the lot of them.

“Oh I was looking for new… books!” he exclaimed a little louder than intended. He flinched at his own words, which were so obviously a lie. Why would he look for books in a place like Karasuno, _especially_ in the part of town Iwaizumi had found him? The man in question raised his eyebrows at Oikawa disbelievingly.

“Books?” he deadpanned, opening his mouth for the first time since the interrogation started.

Oh well. Oikawa was too far in to do anything about it now. He had committed to books, so he was going to have to stick to it. “Yes, books,” he insisted. “My tutor has been very into brewing his own alcohol lately and he promised that if I brought back some books for him on the task he would teach me more about the stars,” Oikawa continued.

Well, _half_ of that hadn’t been a lie. His tutor brewing his own alcohol was but the man kept promising if Oikawa did this thing or that thing that he would teach Oikawa what he really wanted to know. Of course, everything they learned had to be approved by his father and the older Oikawa didn’t seem to think that learning about the stars was going to benefit Oikawa in any way.

“So where are these books?” Hanamaki asked.

“Well, I kind of got stuck in the rain and then… ended up here. Ha-ha, I guess I lost track of what I was really supposed to do,” he laughed awkwardly. Oh gods, they weren’t buying this at all. Why would they? Oikawa was completely terrible at lying and these men were probably amazing at telling the liars from the honest people.

“You’re not some drifter who steals and mooches off anyone they meet are you?” Bokuto asked and Kuroo thumped his back once more.

 _Oh_. So that’s what they wanted to know. Oikawa laughed, not offended in the slightest by Bokuto’s blunt words, which seemed to relieve the tension in the air.

He shook his head. “No, I promise, that’s not me. I don’t really like talking about myself but it’s not because I’m going to rip you off and steal from you,” Oikawa assured. “Besides, it’d be pretty stupid of me to target you guys, don’t you think?” he continued.

That seemed to amuse the men who nodded in agreement and laughed. It was obvious that they didn’t believe a single thing that had come out of Oikawa’s mouth but they didn’t press him any further, which Oikawa was grateful for.

“Alright, you keep your secrets. You’re right, you certainly don’t look like you’re a thief. Just don’t go killing us in the middle of the night and we’ll be happy to have had your company,” Matsukawa replied, wiping away a few tears that had managed to slip down his face during the laughter.

Oikawa hadn’t thought what he said was _that_ funny but he supposed he really wasn’t cut out to be a thief after all. He wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to be offended or not. A part of him was leaning towards feeling offense but then Iwaizumi was standing up and extending a hand towards him as well, and how was Oikawa supposed to feel offense when he did something like that?

He found a smile weave its way onto his face as he happily grabbed the extended hand. Bokuto didn’t even bother to hide his shock at the two of them but didn’t make any comments, which was probably in his best interest. Iwa-chan looked like he was going to burst any second, but Oikawa still pulled on his hand, even tightened his grip around the man’s palm for a brief moment before Iwa-chan was pulling away.

The twenty minutes of rest being up, the group packed up and saddled back up. The second part of the journey was quieter than the first. Oikawa wasn’t sure whether it was because everyone was full and content with moving on in silence or because of that slightly awkward conversation they had with him. He knew it wasn’t worth it but he couldn’t help but let his mind wander towards it. It had been weird for sure but he still wasn’t entirely convinced what the reason behind it had been.

He chewed at his bottom lip in thought, not having realized that the thought was weighing down so heavily on him that it was making him tired until he was being shaken awake by Iwaizumi’s wriggling torso.

“Oikawa. Hey, Shittykawa, wake up,” he hushed.

“Mm? What is it? Oh no, did I fall asleep?” Oikawa rubbed at his eyes, forgetting that he was still on a horse and almost losing his balance. Thankfully, Iwa-chan was there to turn around and grab his arms to steady him before he fell off Kana.

“Whoa, are you ok?” he asked, face too close to Oikawa’s.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry for falling asleep,” he apologized sheepishly.

“It doesn’t matter. We’re on the edge of the estate. Did you know there were so many guards around it?” Iwaizumi asked, and Oikawa felt himself colour at that.

“Yes, but I thought you knew too!” It hadn’t crossed his mind that Iwaizumi and his group wouldn’t know _anything_ about Seijou. Why had they taken on this task in the first place if they didn’t? Probably because the pay would be great for retrieving some jewel, Oikawa reminded himself.

“It doesn’t matter, we need to find a way inside,” Kuroo appeared. Oh, everyone had been listening to them. Oikawa felt even more embarrassed now. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark, Oikawa recognized where they were. He had seen this place only a few days ago when he left. Thank goodness they were entering from the one gate that he recognized because he was sure Iwaizumi would leave him otherwise.

Oh no, did Oikawa’s failure to inform them of the guards count as a hindrance? Was Iwa-chan going to leave him to die in a ditch somewhere? Back in the forest they were padding through earlier? That trail didn’t have any other prints on it… Oikawa visibly gulped at the thought, eyes going wide. Maybe he could make a run for it now. The guards would recognize him and let him in.

Gods, what was he even thinking? He had come this far without a reason at all to help these men and he was going to follow through with it for whatever reason it was that he had deemed worth it.

“Oikawa, are you paying attention?” Iwaizumi snapped and Oikawa faced the man with the same wide-eyed look that had taken over his features only a moment earlier.

“Yes,” he responded feebly.

“Don’t chicken out on me now. We’re here, so do your part. Help us get in,” he sounded annoyed. Oikawa couldn’t blame him. Whether the annoyance was directed at him or at the situation though was a mystery, although he had a feeling that it was probably a mixture of both of those things combined.

_Think, Oikawa. Use that brain of yours. You bragged about being strategic earlier._

It only took a few seconds of panicked thinking for him to remember something very important. “I got it!” he beamed happily.

“What? You know how to get us in?” Iwaizumi asked unsurely.

“I do, don’t look at me like you don’t believe me. There’s this guy I know who lives in there who sneaks out to see his boyfriend every few days. I don’t know how he gets out but he does. He let it slip once but I didn’t really care too much to ask how but I do know he still lives inside.” Oikawa was very proud of his accomplishment. Iwaizumi on the other hand, didn’t seem the slightest bit impressed.

“So what you’re telling me is that we’re going to bank on a possibility that your friend is going to sneak out tonight from _anywhere_ in this estate and that he’ll help us get in?” Iwaizumi deadpanned. When he put it like that, it sounded kind of dumb. But it wasn’t, because Oikawa was almost positive that Tobio-chan was going to sneak out. He had been getting restless lately and the bags under his eyes were growing by the day. Oikawa was _certain_ he was going out every night.

“He’s not my _friend_ ,” Oikawa spat the word.

“Oh my bad, let me correct myself. We’re going to bank on just _some guy you know_ to let us in, on the off chance that he _happens_ to sneak out and that it’ll be somewhere we even manage to _spot_?” Iwaizumi asked testily.

“Don’t be so mean, I don’t see you coming up with any other plan,” Oikawa retorted.

Why was Iwa-chan acting like this was such a bad idea? Oikawa didn’t see what was so wrong with his suggestion. Tobio-chan _was_ going to sneak out and they _were_ going to get him to let them in. In fact, the best way for Oikawa to get himself inside unnoticed by anyone would be this way too. He didn’t want rumours of his escapade flying around the estate. If that happened, his parents were going to make him get married for sure and that was something Oikawa couldn’t have happening under any circumstance.

He heard Iwa-chan sigh loudly. “Alright, split up. Bokuto, Kuroo, you go around by the lake. Hanamaki, Matsukawa, stay here. Oikawa and I will go up by the hill. If anyone spots him, let out our signal and we’ll come to you,” Iwaizumi ordered.

“His name is Kageyama and he has black hair, dark blue eyes; he’s about Iwa-chan’s height, slightly taller. And he’s perpetually frowning. He’s kind of skinny so you’ll be fine tackling him if he gets flighty. Just tell him you know Oikawa if he’s uncooperative,” Oikawa beamed.

They all nodded before heading out to their respective locations. “I hope for your sake that this works,” Iwaizumi grumbled in Oikawa’s ear but the action made him shiver from pleasure more so than fear. Wow, he was really messed up.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine,” he reassured, although that was mostly directed at himself. Oikawa let Iwaizumi lead, because he was much better at keeping the gaze of the guards away from them. Oikawa had never really looked into Seijou from an outsiders perspective but wow, the estate really was guarded well. Iwaizumi had managed to find the blind spots immediately though and had no qualms taking advantage of them. Oikawa didn’t know whether to be afraid, impressed or a little bit of both.

“So who are you really?” Iwaizumi asked, once they had settled along the edge of the hill, away from peering eyes but still having a good enough vantage point to spot anyone who came their way.

“What do you mean?” Oikawa asked, genuinely confused.

“No one has the luxury of being a student unless they come from money,” Iwaizumi explained. “That was the only part of your little life story that I actually believed so don’t try and convince me otherwise. You’re too honest to be a thief and you’re too whiny to work under anyone. No offense, but you sort of give off the rich-kid vibe, so just tell me why you’re hanging around a group of mercenaries instead of being in your own comfortable home,” Iwaizumi finished.

Oikawa’s stared at him in shock. Wow, he really had seen right through Oikawa. That was a first. He gaped at Iwaizumi for a few seconds, unsure of what to say.

“I… I had a disagreement with my parents. Well, not to their face, but I didn’t like how they were dictating my life. They want me to get married so that I’m settled and that I fulfill my duties as son and heir of the Oikawa family. I don’t want to. I only intended to leave for a little bit but then I ran into you and realized it was sort of fun to be in charge of my own life for once. Sorry, it was pretty selfish of me to tag along,” he apologized.

Iwaizumi looked at him with that gruff expression for only a second after Oikawa had finished speaking before his features turned soft.

“No, don’t apologize. I’m sorry,” he responded immediately. “I apologize if we were a little rough with you. I’m sure you’re not used to it,” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“What? No, I loved it,” Oikawa insisted and when Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at him disbelievingly, Oikawa continued, “Seriously, it’s the first time someone has treated me as _me_ and not the son of some important man with an important family and a lot of money. That’s not me. _I’m_ me and you guys made me realize that I _like_ being me.”

He was pretty certain none of that made any sense, but Iwa-chan nodded all the same. Something about his support made Oikawa’s heart swell up and stars burst around his head. But that feeling was _nothing_ compared to the way he felt when Iwa-chan wrapped Oikawa’s hand in his, pulled him close and met Oikawa’s lips with his own.

 _Whoa_. That was unexpected but certainly not unwelcome.

Before Iwaizumi could pull away, Oikawa had removed his hands from Iwaizumi’s grip and wrapped them around the man’s neck to bring them even closer together. A small part of him was smug; oh who was he kidding, a huge part of him was smug that he had made the gruff, frowning mercenary fall for him.

He could last in this moment for the rest of his life. Iwa-chan was kissing him and Oikawa couldn’t be happier. There was no roughness, just the soft, soothing feeling of Iwa-chan’s lips against his own and the slight flicker of air as they breathed heavily through their noses to avoid doing everything to break off the kiss.

Nothing could disrupt the bliss he currently felt.

“ _Oikawa-san_?”

Ok well, nothing except for that.

Oikawa felt Iwaizumi push him away, as they both turned to face the intruder who happened to be none other than Kageyama Tobio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're almost done!! hope you've enjoyed it so far!
> 
> I have not proof-read this but I will in the morning so pls ignore the mistakes until then! ♡


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello monster chapter. I did it, I managed to fit it all into one (long) chapter! I hope this was fun for you all. it was such a random idea on my part and I didn't think I had the muse to follow through with it but I'm glad that I did. this was fun to write, and I hope it was just as enjoyable for you to read. 
> 
> now bc no one actually reads these things, I'm going to stop here and let you get on with the last chap!

Oikawa had never wanted to kill Tobio-chan more in his life. There were plenty of things that the younger man did that pissed Oikawa off but this had to be the _worst_. Tobio-chan always had the worst timing; he was always _ruining_ everything. All Oikawa could see was red and not the embarrassed kind that was written all over Iwa-chan’s face, even in the dark light of the night.

To be fair, Kageyama _did_ look sorry and just as embarrassed but Oikawa didn’t care.

He was going to murder him. With his bare hands. He was going to turn into a criminal, he was going to go to jail and he would do it happily if it meant that he got to wring Tobio-chan’s neck for walking in on a moment like _this_.

It was just like Tobio-chan to ruin every good thing in Oikawa's life. It was as if the moment Oikawa was truly happy, Kageyama had to come in and get his measly paws all over Oikawa's happiness and rip it all away. He just couldn't help it, could he? 

What did he need to ruin Oikawa's life for anyway? It wasn't as if he was unhappy. He had a boyfriend who happened to care very much for him despite Tobio-chan's terrible personality. He wasn't terrible looking so Oikawa supposed that helped his case. But  _still_ , why was Kageyama so intent on ruining his happiness? 

Ignoring the fact that his boyfriend happened to be the son of a farmer and Kageyama was the son and heir of a noble family, there weren't really any problems in his life. Ok, so maybe that was a big problem and the guy didn't need any more but Oikawa was angry and petty and didn't want to feel any sort of remorse for the man who had ruined his temporary moment of happiness. 

Oh. So that's what he was really upset about. This  _was_  temporary. So what, Iwa-chan kissed him and in a little bit he would find what he was looking for and be on his way. Oikawa was going to tell him that he wasn't coming because Seijou was his home. Not that Iwa-chan would insist on Oikawa coming with him any way. For the other man, what had happened was probably a momentary lapse in judgement. He seemed to be too upset by Oikawa's story.

Great, it was a pity kiss. Oikawa could just about  _die_  right now. 

"Oikawa-san that is you, isn't it?" Kageyama continued, completely unaware of Oikawa's internal dilemma. 

"What do you want Tobio-chan?" Oikawa snapped, forgetting that Kageyama was the person they were looking for. He should have thought them lucky that Kageyama had come to them instead of them waiting around for the other man but in this moment, he felt no such gratitude towards the happiness snatcher. 

"Uh, nothing. I was just going to see Shouyou when I walked by you," he said awkwardly. Oikawa watched his eyes shift to Iwa-chan and it was then that he remembered that the man was still there. And he'd been silent this entire time. _Great, thanks for the awkwardness Tobio_ , he couldn't help but think. 

"Well then run off to your stupid boyfriend, what do you care about me?" Oikawa snapped. Before Kageyama could reply however, Iwaizumi stepped forward, having put two and two together. 

"Wait, don't go. You're Kageyama, right?" he asked, to which Kageyama could only widen his eyes and nod slowly. 

"Why?" he narrowed his eyes. Oikawa had never seen Tobio-chan look so nervous before and couldn't help but feel absolutely gleeful at the thought. Ok, so he was being petty. So what? Kageyama had interrupted such a good moment between Iwa-chan and himself; Oikawa felt that he had some right to feel petty.

"Help us get in without being seen," Iwaizumi was blunt. He didn't seem to see a point in beating around the bush. Oikawa would have liked to beat  _him_  with a bush right about now, and maybe beat Kageyama with an entire tree. The two of them together were going to ruin  _everything_. 

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Kageyama started, but Oikawa cut him off before he could get any further with his excuse. 

"If you don't help us I'm going to tell your parents about Hinata," Oikawa threatened. Kageyama paled at that and Oikawa wasn't sure but he saw a slightly impressed look on Iwaizumi's face.  _Hah, I can be ruthless too_ , he wanted to say although that probably wasn't such a good thing in hindsight. Why was he trying to impress Iwa-chan now of all times any way? It wasn’t like what he did mattered anymore. They had found Kageyama, Kageyama was going to let them in, and Iwa-chan and his group were going to take what they had come for and leave, while Oikawa would stay.

"I was going to say, it's not such a good idea while Shouyou is waiting for me. Let me see him and tell him I can't hang out with him tonight. You know he'll make a scene otherwise. The last time I didn't show he told me he'd walk up to the guards himself and demand he be let in to see me. I can't have that happening," he pleaded. "Please, I'll make up some excuse, don't worry," he assured when Oikawa and Iwaizumi gave him a disbelieving look. 

Oikawa was certain Iwa-chan was going to say no but apparently he was a nicer guy than he liked to show. "Fine, but you're not going alone," Iwaizumi insisted. He didn't give Kageyama a chance to reply in protest as he pulled a flat piece of who knew what from the satchel around his waist and folded it into a cone. He blew into it discreetly, but it didn't seem to have made any sound at all. 

"Are you sure that's going to work?" Oikawa questioned. Iwaizumi gave him an annoyed look. 

"Of course it's going to work," he answered vaguely. 

"What? Do you guys have the ears of a bat or something? That didn't even make a sound," Oikawa protested. Iwaizumi only hummed but didn't explain it further. Oikawa folded his arms over his chest and pursed his lips. Iwa-chan was keeping his secrets from Oikawa. Not that Oikawa could blame him but it was annoying all the same. 

It had been a few minutes and no one had appeared yet. Kageyama looked awkward as usual, keeping quiet and doing everything in his power to keep his eyes away from the gaze of Iwaizumi. Oikawa couldn't care less about the other man and hoped that he felt incredibly out of place because he  _deserved it_. Oikawa was getting restless himself though and it didn't take long for him to deem that Iwaizumi's signalling tactic hadn't worked. 

"I think you did it wrong," Oikawa insisted. 

"And I think you don't know what you're talking about. Look," he pointed behind Oikawa. He turned around and saw nothing except for the trees. He was just about to turn back to Iwa-chan and complain that the man had tricked him when he heard muttering. Within moments, Bokuto and Kuroo's large frames appeared. 

"Could you be any louder?" Iwaizumi grumbled to which they just shrugged and gave a lopsided grin. Iwaizumi sighed but didn't press them any further. "Go with Kageyama. He has some business to take care of, and come straight back. Don't let him out of your sight which means don't let him run away," Iwaizumi growled. 

Kageyama looked perfectly scared, which was a good look on him in Oikawa's opinion. 

"How far?" Iwaizumi asked and it took the scared man a few seconds to register that he was being spoken to. 

"Uh ten minutes from here. Maximum," he insisted when he saw Iwaizumi's eyes narrow at him in frustration. Or so Oikawa assumed because he didn't want to think about Iwa-chan being annoyed with anything else that may have happened in the last few minutes or so. 

"Hurry up," he ordered and Kageyama quickly picked up his pace, followed by a chuckling Bokuto and Kuroo.

"You really scared the poor boy," Kuroo laughed as he followed Kageyama out. Iwaizumi didn't seem at all bothered by the fact, which put Oikawa in a fantastic mood. That was until he remembered they were alone and what had happened the last time they were alone. 

Oh great, were they going to talk about it? He shifted his lips and opened his mouth to speak but Iwa-chan beat him to the punch. "Let's go get Hanamaki and Matsukawa. They won't have heard the signal," he jerked his head in their direction. 

Oikawa frowned but didn't protest. It was when they had started walking back that an idea hit him. "Oh now I get it!" he whispered excitedly. 

"Get what?" Iwaizumi asked uninterestedly. 

"I get how you got Kuroo and Bokuto to come to us. They had the horses with them right? They heard the sound thanks to the horses but since Hanamaki and Matsukawa were away from them they didn't so they won't have known you sent out a signal," Oikawa beamed happily. When Iwaizumi turned to give him a perplexed look, he knew he was right. "I'm right aren't I? See, told you I was smart," he grinned. 

"How'd you know that?" Iwaizumi asked, pointedly ignoring Oikawa's gloating. 

"I do know how sound works. I'm a student because I'm  _good_  at learning. And because it was kind of obvious once I thought about it," he hummed. His tutor did always tell him that he was a fast learner. Oikawa skipped along next to Iwaizumi happily, the earlier awkwardness completely forgotten. Or maybe it just hadn't settled in. After all, Kageyama had interrupted them and then they were off to get Makki and Mattsun. He took a chance to glance at Iwa-chan but was met with that same stoic expression he loved so much. Why was the man so hard to read?

Oikawa didn't have time to put any more thought to the matter as they reached the clearing where Hanamaki and Matsukawa were. 

"What happened?" Matsukawa asked upon seeing Iwaizumi and Oikawa. 

"We found him but he had to settle something first. Let's head back to where we were. Bokuto and Kuroo went with him to make sure he comes back," Iwaizumi explained. Immediately, Hanamaki and Matsukawa fell in step with Iwaizumi. They wasted no more time talking and walked back. Oikawa didn't understand what the point in him coming with Iwa-chan here to get the other two was. He could have stayed behind and waited for Kageyama, Bokuto and Kuroo but he didn't get the chance to ask. Somehow though, he had a feeling that it had to do with trust. 

He felt his stomach plummet at the thought.  _Iwa-chan doesn't trust me_. But why would he? Oikawa had done nothing but lie to him. Why would Oikawa deserve his trust? He knew that the way Iwa-chan felt was totally justifiable and valid but it didn't stop him from feeling a little down all the same. 

They made it back to their previous spot just as Kuroo, Bokuto and Kageyama were making it back. 

"Iwaizumi, you should have seen this guy, Hinata is so  _cool_ ," Bokuto swooned. Oikawa noticed Kageyama colour at that. "I wanted to bring him back with us, he's so charismatic but Kuroo insisted that we shouldn't and that you'd probably be pissed," Bokuto frowned. 

"Damn right," Iwaizumi grunted. "Don't bring back more people. There's enough here as it is." He probably hadn't meant it in a bad way but Oikawa felt a pang go through his chest all the same. His lips curved downwards in the slightest of frowns but he picked himself back up just as quickly. He had no right getting upset like this. Iwa-chan was right, he didn't belong. They did have too many people and Oikawa really was no help after all. Without him, they'd have surely found another way in.

"Bokuto, stop making this kid feel more awkward," Hanamaki pointed out, jerking a thumb at Kageyama. 

"I'm not a kid," Kageyama protested sullenly. 

"Right sorry, stop making this  _boy_  feel more awkward," Hanamaki corrected with a grin. 

"You're terrible," Matsukawa laughed but high-fived him all the same. Oikawa was feeling too upset to even fully appreciate someone other than him teasing Kageyama. 

"Come on Kageyama, show us your secret path," Kuroo raised his eyebrows up and down. Kageyama looked thoroughly violated by the act and swallowed nervously. He didn't protest though and led them inside the estate. 

"Please don't tell anyone about this," he begged, silently adding the reason for the secret. 

"Don't worry kid, I support you and your boy Hinata. I give you my word that your secret is safe," Bokuto assured. Wow, Hinata must have been something or well, nothing at all because impressing Bokuto seemed to be really easy. Oikawa highly doubted Kageyama was capable of finding someone that great for himself. But that was probably the bitterness and jealousy speaking. Still, Oikawa let it fill his body and mind, souring his mood further. 

Once they were inside, Oikawa assumed that Kageyama would just disappear but he stuck around, albeit uncomfortably. Oikawa saw him shift his eyes between the large men but didn't make any move to go away. 

"Your turn Oikawa. Where's the treasury?" Iwaizumi asked, ignoring the wide-eyed look from Kageyama at the demand. 

"Wait, you're going to steal from Seijou?" he asked, stepping forward. He looked intimidated as hell, but there was determination in his eyes. Oikawa almost felt a little bit of pride watching the idiot treat Seijou so preciously. _Almost_. 

"Are you stupid? What did you think we wanted you to let us in here for? To put a sweet little surprise on the bedside of someone we loved for them to wake up to?" Kuroo questioned. Oikawa knew he didn't mean the words harshly and was probably just amused beyond anything else but Kageyama didn't seem to take too kindly to Kuroo's accusation of his intellect being low. 

"I'm  _not_  stupid," he hissed. "I don't care if you're bigger than me or if there are more of you. I can't let you steal from my home," he stepped back a little to gain an advantage and held up his fists. "I'll fight you if I have to," he continued. Oikawa had to hand it to him. He managed to look serious despite the obvious waver in his voice. 

"Look kid, we're not going to fight you. Just move aside and let us find the Jewel of Seijou so we can move on with our lives. Pretend you didn't see us, alright? If you don't then I'm going to have to knock you out and then  _I'll_  feel terrible for having taken advantage of a kid who didn't stand a chance to begin with and  _you'll_ feel terrible because you'll wake up in pain," Iwaizumi reasoned. 

"What did you say? Jewel of Seijou?" Kageyama asked, eyebrows furrowing in thought. Iwaizumi looked as if he was ready to curse himself for having said what they were looking for aloud. If it wasn't for the fact that Oikawa knew how angry Iwaizumi was, he might have commented on how adorable the man was when he furrowed his brows like that. Ah, there was that attractive anger again. Oikawa shook away the thought as quickly as it had appeared. 

"You do know that the Jewel of Seijou is a person and not an object right? Well, I suppose a person  _is_  technically an object as well. But there's no monetary worth to it. You can't sell the Jewel of Seijou," Kageyama insisted. 

"How do you know?" Matsukawa questioned, thick eyebrows raised.

“Because Oikawa-san is the Jewel of Seijou. Don’t any of you know?” Kageyama asked disbelievingly. If it wasn’t for the fact that Oikawa had grown up with the asshole and knew he didn’t have a humorous bone in his entire body, Oikawa might have thought Kageyama was pulling their leg. As it so happened, he was completely serious and there was no doubt associated with his words.

“What do you mean it’s Oikawa?” Bokuto asked, confused. Oikawa was with him there. What did Tobio-chan mean _him_?

“It’s because he’s the heir of the estate, isn’t it? It’s some stupid fucking title,” Iwaizumi growled. His anger seemed to have only intensified as the realization dawned. Oikawa’s eyes widened when Iwa-chan called him the heir of the estate. Had Oikawa accidentally let it slip? He was sure he would have remembered if he had said something and Iwa-chan would have questioned him on the spot if he had. So then… how did he know?

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m good at putting two and two together as well,” Iwaizumi grumbled in annoyance. “How else would you know about Kageyama? How else would you have known the secrets of the estate including the location of its treasury? That’s not information outsiders, even traders are privy too,” he explained, and Oikawa wanted to hit his head against the nearest hard object. So Iwa-chan had probably known everything about him from the moment he asked to come with him.

“I mean, I didn’t really believe it until I saw Kageyama and the way he calls you Oikawa _-san_ despite there being some very obvious animosity between you two,” Iwaizumi shrugged. Oikawa didn’t know why but he felt like he had disappointed Iwaizumi in some way, which was the worst feeling he had felt in a long time.

“I was right, take that you stupid cat,” Hanamaki gleamed in Kuroo’s direction. “He _is_ one of those sheltered kids. Oho, Iwaizumi, I think you’ve hit the jackpot with this,” Hanamaki continued to beam. Whether he was trying to break the tension or be an intentional asshole, Oikawa wasn’t sure. What he was certain of was that Hanamaki’s words had not helped his mood in the slightest. Apparently Iwa-chan felt the same way because he turned around and punched Hanamaki, _hard_ , in the shoulder.

“Ow ok, I deserved that,” he admitted, wincing in pain.

Oikawa wasn’t paying attention to Hanamaki anymore. His eyes had zeroed in on Kageyama’s who was looking incredibly uncomfortable. _Good_. The asshole deserved it for making Oikawa feel like such an idiot.

"What the hell Tobio-chan? Don't make up stupid stories like that!" Oikawa screeched, more so in embarrassment than anything else. Him? The Jewel of Seijou? What the hell? He had  _never_  heard that term used to describe him before. Was this just another thing that people kept a secret from him? His eyes flared up in anger, fists clenched at his sides. "Who calls me that?" he asked suddenly, shifting the conversation. 

“Uh, everyone I guess but not to your face,” Kageyama began nervously. He took a step back after having watched Iwaizumi solidly hit Hanamaki. Tobio-chan didn’t have Iwaizumi to worry about it. If anything, Oikawa was going to rip him to shreds first.

“So then everyone just talks about me that way behind my back, is that right?” Oikawa asked angrily. What else did he not know about his own reputation? What other secrets did people keep from him because he was Oikawa Tooru?

“I don’t know, I swear I didn’t know you weren’t aware of it, Oikawa-san. I’m sorry,” Kageyama apologized. His voice was sincere and it was enough to relieve Oikawa of _some_ of the anger bubbling inside of him. But it wasn’t enough to get rid of it all.

“Well _find out_ and tell me,” Oikawa demanded. Kageyama nodded fervently. At least he was obedient, even if he was kind of useless with everything else. Oikawa didn’t blame Kageyama; not really because he couldn’t help but be awkward. But everything that Tobio-chan did managed to annoy him in some way or another. Even his agreeing to Oikawa without so much as a fight. He wanted to yell at him. To tell him to stand up for himself. Oikawa was being selfish and demanding and he wanted someone to tell him off, for him to feel like he wasn’t just a made up person.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he cursed, not even caring that the words sounded so foreign coming out of his mouth. Kageyama seemed to be just as shocked by Oikawa’s choice of words.

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi’s calm voice broke Oikawa out of his rage. “I get that you’re upset but don’t take it out on him,” Iwaizumi jerked his head in Kageyama’s direction. Kageyama looked even more intimidated if anything at being addressed that way. “He didn’t do anything wrong. He was just following the customs set out by I’m assuming _your_ family,” Iwaizumi reminded. Oikawa knew the man was speaking nothing but reasonable words but somehow they managed to make him even more upset. He wasn’t angry anymore but he _was_ feeling hurt.

That’s right. It was his parents who had probably kept all these secrets from him because they thought he didn’t deserve to know. Well he _did_. It was _his_ life and he deserved to know things that concerned _him_. He took a few calming breaths, helped on by Iwaizumi’s strong, supportive hand on his shoulder. How someone could remain so warm was beyond Oikawa but it was comforting.

He sighed and lifted his head to face Kageyama. “I’m sorry for yelling at you. You don’t have to tell me everything that goes on, that’s not your job,” he said sincerely. Kageyama nodded, taken aback by the change in Oikawa’s tone but nevertheless accepting of the apology.

Deeming that he had done what he had to with Kageyama, he turned his body to face the group of mercenaries. “I’m sorry for lying to you all. You were nice to me, made me feel welcome despite how much of an outsider I was, and even brought me along with you. I didn’t deserve your kindness,” he apologized, lowering his head until Iwaizumi was tugging at the hair at the back of his head lightly and lifting it back up.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say that you _did_ deserve it. You’re not your title. You’re Oikawa,” he smiled. Well, if this was the last time Oikawa was going to see Iwa-chan at least they were parting on a good note. He had gotten to see Iwa-chan’s brilliant smile again. It would most likely drive him nuts for the upcoming _long_ while but hey, it was better than parting on a bad note.

He felt a thump on his back then three more in succession. He turned his head to look over his shoulder and found that he had been patted on the back by the others in support of Iwaizumi’s words. “You’re pretty alright for someone who grew up in a place like this,” Kuroo laughed, and Oikawa couldn’t help but beam.

“I really am sorry though. And you guys wasted your time coming all this way for nothing. Wait, let me give you some of my belongings so that you don’t go back empty handed at least,” he offered. “Unless…” They weren’t going to actually _steal_ him were they? What kind of person wanted another human anyway? Unless that person also didn’t know what the ‘Jewel of Seijou’ really was.

Iwaizumi shook his head. “No, we’re not going to take your things. That wasn’t part of the job,” he insisted. Oikawa was kind of glad that Iwa-chan really wasn’t a terrible person but he was also disappointed because that meant this moment really _was_ goodbye. He had only known the man for a day but he felt more comfortable around him than he had with anyone else. Sure he was a little rough but he was also soft, and kind, and caring and oh gods, Oikawa had really fallen for him and now Iwa-chan was going to leave and he would never see him again.

He couldn’t help the sob that escaped his lips. His cheeks coloured in embarrassment but he didn’t do anything to stop the tears from leaking down his cheeks and another sob from escaping.

“Bro, don’t do that. _I’m_ going to cry too now,” Bokuto wailed, much to Iwaizumi’s dismay and Kageyama’s discomfort.

“I think I’m feeling a little teary-eyed too,” Hanamaki started, lifting a hand to his eyes. Oikawa’s sniffling intensified at hearing those words. So these people really _did_ like him after all. That made the parting even worse. His sniffling had turned into a full sob now, complete with tears and snot. He could barely make out Iwaizumi’s face through the tears clouding his vision but the man looked uncomfortable at best, which only served to make Oikawa cry even harder.

“Oikawa-san, please, someone will hear us,” Kageyama pleaded, but his words were said in vain. No one seemed to be listening to him, least of all Oikawa who had now thrown himself onto Iwaizumi’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around the man’s torso. If he didn’t let go then Iwa-chan couldn’t leave, right? The thought was childish but Oikawa wasn’t exactly in the right state of mind at the moment.

“Oikawa-san, what are you doing here in the middle of the night with these _strangers_ ,” boomed a voice around them that pulled Oikawa out of his sobs. He wiped at his tears with his hands and may have used the front of Iwaizumi’s shirt to wipe away some of that snot, not that Iwa-chan seemed to mind. Or he hadn't noticed considering he was too busy looking panicked at the idea of being caught like this. Oikawa could almost see the gears working in his head. He looked at his group then back at the man who had found them, who now seemed to be enforced with other guards.

He was going to leave, wasn’t he? Oikawa knew he was going to. He watched Iwa-chan look at his group once more who shrugged and just nodded, smiles on their faces. They seemed to be having a silent conversation.

“Ah, Irihata-san, what are you doing here?” Oikawa asked, feigning innocence. If he kept the guard distracted that would give Iwa-chan and the others a chance to escape. Oikawa wanted to keep Iwa-chan’s company a little longer but he wasn’t that selfish. He cared enough about the man and the others who he had formed an impromptu friendship with. He did care about their well-being and in this instance, their well-being meant their escape from Seijou.

“Where have you been? Your parents were so worried,” Irihata-san ignored Oikawa’s questions. He signaled to the guards behind him to take in the others, but Oikawa stood in front of them, arms wide. Although he wasn’t a wide enough shield his action conveyed the words he was thinking. The guards stopped in their track.

“I was out but I came back. Don’t do anything to them,” Oikawa warned.

“That’s not for you to decide, Oikawa-san. Let’s go, your parents will be waiting,” he commanded, and signaled for the guards to continue their approach towards the group.

“Wait,” Iwaizumi’s voice broke out amidst the movement. “I’d like to speak with whoever is in charge here,” he announced. Oikawa’s eyes went wide.

“My _parents_?” he asked, hoping that he had heard the words wrong. What was Iwa-chan thinking? Why wasn’t he escaping? Why weren’t the others doing as much either? They were standing still, completely at ease with what was happening around them.

“Yes,” Iwa-chan’s voice was unwavering. Oikawa wished he knew what the other man was thinking but he was still as hard to read as ever.

Irihata-san sighed but waved the guards away. “If you’re going to come willingly then fine, there’s no need for restraints,” he agreed. “This way then,” he said stepping aside and letting his subordinates lead the way so he could pull up the back. Oikawa was thankful that it was still early on in the night and that there wouldn’t be many people up at this time. The last thing he needed was for more rumours to surround him than they already did. He didn’t need other things being said about him without his knowledge.

He fell into step with Iwaizumi, sending him a wary glance every few minutes. Kageyama was walking in front, looking completely caught and Oikawa almost felt bad for him. When they reached his house, he patted Kageyama on the back and said loudly, “Thanks for finding me, I’m sure you must be tired,” before shoving him off in the direction of his own home. Irihata-san sighed but didn’t question it. Hopefully that would keep some of the questions at bay.

Oikawa didn’t particularly like him but he didn’t _hate_ him either or something like that. He’d just count this as a favour and have Kageyama pay him back later.

“Give me a moment,” Irihata-san signalled once they had arrived at the Oikawa home. He heard someone whistle behind him and would bet anything that it was Kuroo. Oikawa suddenly felt conscious of his home and the people who were going to be entering it. This wasn’t how he wanted them to find out. Actually, Oikawa hadn’t wanted them to find out at all yet here they were. He fidgeted nervously, something that Iwa-chan picked up on.

“Stop that. I’ll fix this,” he assured. Oikawa didn’t know what there was to fix or _how_ he was even going to but he nodded all the same.

Irihata-san came back and motioned for the group to follow him. He left his subordinates outside, deeming the house had enough guards inside to keep them safe. Oikawa padding down the length of the house nervously. Their bare footsteps against the wooden floors only seemed to be magnified by the silence around them.

“They’re waiting inside,” Irihata-san motioned, sliding open the shouji and displaying Oikawa’s mother and father seated inside, looking incredibly annoyed and somewhat relieved. Oikawa hoped the latter would outweigh the former but it didn’t seem like it.

“Tooru, where have you been?” demanded his father the moment his eyes found Oikawa. The words were harsh yet not unkind. Oikawa laughed nervously.

“Oh, I got lost. Went for a walk and then couldn’t find my way back,” he explained.

His father narrowed his eyes but didn’t question Oikawa further. “And who are these men with you? They look like criminals,” he said bluntly. Oikawa let out a strangled cry of protest but his father lifted a hand in silence.

“Who wanted to speak with us?” he asked. It was still very late and Oikawa didn’t think that the lack of sleep was going to do Iwa-chan any favours when it came to his father. He silently prayed that this would go over well, whatever _this_ was.

“Sir, I’d like to ask for Oikawa’s hand in marriage,” Iwaizumi kneeled on the ground before his parents and Oikawa’s eyes went wide.

“ _What_?” he asked, at the same time that the others asked the same thing. Oikawa noticed that Iwaizumi’s face was now almost purple and red, lacking much of the tan colour he had gotten so used to seeing. Ok this certainly wasn’t what he had been expecting when Iwa-chan said that he wanted to speak with his parents. Where had _that_ come from? _Marriage_? Not that Oikawa was entirely opposed to the idea but wow, that was moving a little fast wasn’t it? And he would have liked to have been consulted on the idea _before_ his parents were at least.

Not that this was the right time to be thinking about those things. He looked at Iwa-chan with wide eyes, then back to his father who seemed to have lost all interest in them. Oikawa could see the vein in his temple bulge, a tell tale sign that he was angry.

“Do you come from money? Do you have a title? A stable income? Land?” Oikawa’s father questioned.

“No,” Iwa-chan admitted, lifting his head.

“You can’t even give me an heir. So tell me what good would it do for me to allow you to marry my son?” Oikawa’s father asked, eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“With all due respect sir, I don’t think it’s your decision who Oikawa, _Tooru_ , wants to marry. Life isn’t only about how much money you have and what your title is. It’s not fair of you to dictate Tooru’s life. He’s old enough to make his own decisions so please don’t underestimate him,” Iwaizumi finished, standing up and stepping back to where the others were.

Oikawa stared at him, wide-eyed and frozen in shock. He felt his heart swell up in pride. Iwa-chan had said all those things about him, had _stood up_ for him, in front of his parents no less. He felt the wetness return to his eyes. He smiled weakly and noticed that Iwa-chan returned it, which only made the wetness increase. He blinked back the tears, not wanting to cry in front of his parents.

“I’ve had enough of this,” Oikawa’s father rubbed at his temples. “I would like nothing more than for you to leave so I’m going to forget all of this happened. I’m going to forget that Tooru left for a day and met some idiot strangers, I’m going to forget that these strangers barged into my home without an invitation, and I’m also going to forget the way they spoke to me. I refuse to let whatever this is play out any longer than it already has. _Leave_. Do not come back. I want you as far away from Seijou as possible. If I spot _any_ of you near my estate again, I _will_ have you imprisoned,” he warned before standing up and leaving the room. Oikawa’s mother shot them a sympathetic look before following after her husband.

“Oikawa-san, please return to your bed chambers. I will see the guests out,” Irihata-san said in a voice that implied what he said was a suggestion but in reality it was an order and Oikawa couldn’t disobey it.

“Thanks for saying all those nice things about me, Iwa-chan. It was nice meeting you all,” he said to the group before leaving, looking downtrodden. He didn’t want to stay to wait and find out what happened with Iwa-chan or the others. All Oikawa wanted to do was curl up in his covers and cry himself to sleep. And maybe eat some milk bread to satisfy the sad, empty feeling that had hollowed out his chest.

He returned to his room amidst the whispering from the servants who were awake. He sent them away with an order to bring him all the milk bread in the house and to make double that for tomorrow before wrapping himself in his blankets. He wanted to cry but the tears didn’t come. _Why_? They had been threatening to overflow when he had been in the room with his parents and Iwa-chan. So why wouldn't they come now?

Great, he had run out of tears too. What was he supposed to do now? Where was the stupid milk bread he had asked for? Were the servants that incompetent?

He heard a tapping at his window that broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up and when he didn’t see anything, he flopped his head back between his knees. It had probably been a mistake. But then he heard the tapping again. Despite feeling like his bones were suddenly made of lead, Oikawa picked himself up and walked over to the window when it suddenly slid open and Kageyama’s face popped into view.

“Oh my gods, _you can’t just do that_ ,” Oikawa hissed, but moved aside to let Kageyama crawl in.

“Oikawa-san, what happened?” he asked, undisturbed by the angry look on Oikawa’s face. Kageyama was absolutely terrible at reading the situation.

“What do you think happened, Tobio-chan?” he asked, unimpressed, “Iwa-chan and his friends left. I’ll never see them again, I’m _miserable_ and I managed to save your ungrateful butt in the process,” he complained, throwing his hands in the air and crawling back under the comforts of his blankets.

“And you just let him leave?” Kageyama asked.

“ _Let_ him? Are you stupid as well as untalented? Why would I _let_ him leave? Of course I didn’t do that but what choice do I have?” Oikawa frowned dejectedly. Kageyama wasn’t doing anything to make his mood better. In fact, the younger man was making Oikawa’s mood _worse_.

“Then why are you here? Go _get him_ ,” Kageyama urged.

“Get him?” Oikawa asked, peering up over the blankets. “What makes you the relationship expert? You hid your boyfriend from your parents because he’s a farmer. You know exactly what’s going to happen with me. Don’t give me advice you know isn’t going to work out,” Oikawa complained.

“Oikawa-san, get a grip!” Kageyama yelled, taking both of Oikawa’s shoulders in his hands and shaking them vigorously. “You like him, don’t you? And he likes you! That’s where we’re different. Iwaizumi-san was willing to risk everything in front of your parents and you let him. Shouyou wants to do the same but _I’m_ the one stopping him. Don’t be like me. I’ve always admired you for your courage, so don’t prove me wrong now. Who else am I supposed to look to for the shove I need and maybe the inspiration to do the same?” Kageyama asked.

Since when had he gotten so passionate? His words resounded with Oikawa though and it only took a moment to let them settle in before he was pushing himself up and shoving both Kageyama and the covers off of him. The other man fell back onto the wooden floor a little ungracefully but he didn’t seem bothered by it.

“You’re right. I’m Oikawa Tooru. Confidence is my middle name. I’m going to take charge of my own life and not let Iwa-chan get away! Screw what my parents said. They can’t dictate what I do forever!” Oikawa exclaimed, feeling bold.

“That’s the spirit,” Kageyama encouraged. “Just don’t be so loud and don’t get caught. The guards are patrolling the house since Iwaizumi-san and his group left. That’s why I had to use the window,” he supplied.

Oikawa glared at him. “Don’t tell me that’s how I’ll have to get out as well,” he groaned. When Kageyama only shrugged unhelpfully, Oikawa buried his head in his hands until he felt a push at his shoulder.

“Hurry up before he gets too far. I’ll come with you to the edge of the estate,” Kageyama offered and Oikawa nodded, taking the help. So maybe this could count as the favour Kageyama owed him. Yeah, that would work. They were even now.

Oikawa hastily put on his cloak and followed Kageyama out the window. It was a little more difficult getting down than it had been for Kageyama to climb up but with his help, Oikawa managed. It didn’t take long for them to reach Kageyama’s path out of the estate but by then, Oikawa was starting to lose the confidence he had gained back in his room.

What if Iwa-chan had just been joking back then? What if he didn’t actually like Oikawa? What if it had all been an elaborate plan to get out of the estate without being imprisoned? They could have just been using Oikawa as bate. He chewed at his lower lip as Kageyama dragged him out, keeping up a fast pace now that no one was there to spot them. He must have felt Oikawa’s resistance because he shook his head at Oikawa.

“Don’t let the negative thoughts get to you. You’re doing the right thing no matter the outcome,” he promised. For the first time, Oikawa felt grateful for Kageyama Tobio. He shook his head at the thought. That wasn’t a normal thing to think. Nope, he disliked Tobio-chan, yeah, that was the more reasonable thought. Somehow the man pulling him out of Seijou seemed to know Oikawa better than he knew himself and managed to snap him out of his negative train of thought.

When they reached the forest outside, Kageyama stopped. It was faster to make it out of the estate through this path than it was to weave around the buildings and narrow streets of Seijou. Oikawa wasn’t sure whether they had missed Iwa-chan or if the man just hadn’t made it out yet. He reminded himself that he probably had to go through _some_ questioning by Irihata-san despite Oikawa’s father wanting the group to disappear. It was protocol after all. Kageyama reminded him of the same thing, and told him to be patient. He convinced Oikawa that they hadn’t missed Iwaizumi.

Oikawa was starting to doubt the idea himself when the gates opened up and the men walked out. From this distance, they looked small but Oikawa knew the moment the gates opened that it was Iwa-chan and his group. He waited for them to get farther away before making a dash for them.

“Oikawa?” Iwaizumi’s voice called out upon spotting Oikawa’s figure running towards him. “And is that Kageyama?” he mumbled more to himself than anyone else.

“Iwa-chan, wait, I didn’t get to tell you what I wanted to before you left,” Oikawa huffed out of breath.

“Whoa, slow down. Catch your breath first. I’m not going anywhere,” Iwaizumi smiled and Oikawa felt his insides melt at the sight. _Not going anywhere_. He hoped that Iwa-chan was committed to that because if not, he wasn’t going to like what was going to come out of Oikawa’s mouth.

“I’m sorry,” Oikawa apologized, which only made Iwa-chan laugh.

“How about we give you a moment to talk,” Matsukawa suggested and the others nodded. Kuroo geared Kageyama away with them and Oikawa almost laughed aloud at the nervous look on his face if it weren’t for the fact that he was preoccupied with the thoughts swarming around in his head.

“Did you mean it?” Oikawa asked, when there was silence around them and he had caught his breath enough to speak without sounding like he was dying.

“Mean what?” Iwaizumi asked confused.

“Everything you said to my parents, my father,” Oikawa corrected. “That they underestimate me, and that I should be free to make my own decision,” Oikawa finished nervously. He wrung his fingers between one another, almost afraid to look Iwa-chan in the eyes.

“Of course I meant that,” Iwaizumi responded, holding Oikawa’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifting it up. “You’re smart as hell and completely capable of doing something big without needing your title or your parents’ money. Everyone should be entitled to their own life but I _know_ you’ll be successful with yours,” Iwaizumi answered. Oikawa felt his heart soar at the words. Iwa-chan really did know how to say the right things to make him feel good about himself.

“Did you also mean the marriage thing?” Oikawa asked sheepishly.

“Uh, I don’t know where that came from to be honest,” Iwaizumi admitted, face flushed. He ran a hand though his messy black hair, avoiding Oikawa’s eyes. “Not that I don’t like you,” he corrected. “I just thought if your parents agreed then you could do whatever you wanted and get out of there but that was kind of presumptuous of me, wasn’t it?” he laughed nervously. “I mean, I knew it wasn’t going to turn out how I wanted and I _still_ asked your parents. How stupid of me,” he mumbled.

“It wasn’t stupid,” Oikawa argued. “It made me feel good about myself,” he insisted. “And I like you too you know,” he supplied, unsure how Iwaizumi had meant it but he was certain his meaning had gotten across. The thought was proven when Iwaizumi’s eyes widened in realization.

“Really?” he asked, sounding unsure and completely unlike himself.

“Duh,” Oikawa laughed. “So does this mean we’re actually going to get married?” he laughed.

“Well maybe not _right now_ , I’ve only known you for a day,” Iwaizumi started but stopped once Oikawa started laughing louder. Realization dawned on Iwaizumi’s face and the flush increased noticeably, even in the darkness of the night. “You were joking,” he deadpanned.

“Not entirely. We don’t have to get _married_ , but I do want to come with you,” Oikawa insisted. “Please?” he added when Iwaizumi’s face turned into a frown. Oikawa wasn’t sure why Iwaizumi was frowning. Hadn’t they both just admitted that they liked one another? What was the problem now?

“Oikawa… you’ve got a life here. I don’t exactly work a stable job,” he began, running his hand through his hair once more.

“I know that, and I don’t care,” Oikawa started. “No, listen to me Iwa-chan. I think I’m capable of making my own decisions and what I want is to come with you. If you say no because you don’t want me as part of your team then fine, that’s an entirely different story. But don’t say no because you think I’m living comfortably right now. I won’t regret it, I know it,” he insisted.

The silence that rang out after Oikawa’s words was deafening. Oikawa could feel his heart beat faster, threatening to burst out of his chest.

“Alright, but I don’t know what you can offer exactly,” Iwaizumi agreed. Oikawa looked at him, a mixture of happiness and disappointment until he realized Iwa-chan was smiling and he had just been joking about the second part of his statement. A genuine smile found its way onto Oikawa’s face. The grin was wide enough to split his cheeks but he didn’t care. He was _happy_ dammit and he was going to show it.

“I thought we already established that I was great at strategy,” Oikawa pouted, playing along.

“Right and your strategy turned out so well,” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes.

“What? You don’t think it was a success? Alright then, how about I do something else? Like be the support for a job well done,” he winked and Iwaizumi visibly sputtered.

“ _Oikawa_ ,” he hissed, flush darkening once more.

“Ooh, I was thinking I’d cook or clean or take care of the nest while you were out or something. What were _you_ thinking? I think I’d like that better,” he laughed, moving away as Iwa-chan tried to swipe at him. Eventually he caught him and pressed his lips against Oikawa’s. Oikawa let out a satisfied hum, content with being able to feel the contact once more.

“Ahem, sorry to break this up but Kageyama has informed us that we should probably get out of here before the guards come looking,” Hanamaki intervened. Stupid Tobio-chan, ruining his moment with Iwa-chan _twice_ in one night.

“Let’s get out of here then,” Iwaizumi nodded to the group, then he turned to face Oikawa. “You’re sure about this?” he asked once more.

“Yes, I’m positive,” Oikawa insisted. “Running away for real this time,” he smiled, and he was happy to see that Iwa-chan returned his smile.

“Thanks Kageyama,” Iwaizumi turned to the man who waved them goodbye. “Yeah, thanks Tobio-chan. Go get your shrimp!” Oikawa added before heading off with Iwa-chan.

“We’ll need to get another horse,” Iwaizumi complained, but the annoyance in his words didn’t quite reach his tone. Oikawa noticed that Iwa-chan hadn’t quite let go of his hand yet either, which he was completely ok with.

“Hmm, I quite liked riding with you though,” Oikawa insisted.

“But it’s not practical,” Iwaizumi argued.

“Oh gods, what did we sign up for? You guys are gross,” Hanamaki made throwing up sounds then ducked his head to get away from Iwaizumi’s stray fist.

“I think they’re cute,” Bokuto beamed.

“Thanks Kou-chan,” Oikawa stuck his tongue out at Hanamaki. “Besides, look what else I brought. Or well, not me but look what Kageyama stuffed in my cloak before pushing me towards you,” Oikawa dangled a couple pouches from his cloak. “I’ve come prepared,” he laughed, throwing a pouch at each of them.

“I thought he was going to fight us for stealing from Seijou?” Kuroo laughed, grabbing the bag tossed in his direction.

“Oh I think he just took my own possessions and handed them out. He’s kind of intelligent… but don’t tell him I said that,” Oikawa grinned.

Matsukawa whistled lowly. “Damn, you sure know how to pick them, Iwaizumi. I like him. Let’s keep him forever,” he laughed before stuffing his pouch under his belt and getting up on his horse. The others followed suit.

Iwaizumi helped Oikawa up despite the protests from last time and this time around, Oikawa had no complaints. “I see you’ve turned rogue after all,” Iwaizumi chuckled once they had made it a safe distance from Seijou.

“Only for you,” Oikawa replied happily, rubbing his face against the expanse of Iwaizumi’s back.

Sure he didn’t quite understand what he had gotten himself into but he was happy and he wanted to stay that way. Iwa-chan was kind and caring; his friends, no _their_ friends were the same. He was prepared to miss the luxury of his home for a little while but he knew it wouldn’t last long. Not when he had the company of some of the best people in the world. Call him a little biased, but Oikawa Tooru couldn’t have found a better family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was this ever going to have anything but a happy ending? I think not. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for fluff. give me iwaoi and give me... more iwaoi. idk where I was going with that but ALL THE SAME, HAPPY IWAOI IS LOVE. 
> 
> ngl, near the end of this I was like "should I split this up into two chapters? should I add an epilogue to the last one to make up for how short it is? in hindsight, I could have split this up into two but I couldn't think of a good epilogue so here I am with my long ass chapter. 
> 
> maybe I'll write a one-shot epilogue down the road. WHO KNOWS. anyway, this was so much fun and I'm hoping that it was fun for you too! comments, kudos, thoughts are always appreciated! ♡


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